Elevated Serum Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Is Relevant to Heart Failure Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the roles of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction and its association with Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF).

Methods: The level of FGF21 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 199 subjects enrolled in this study, including 128 subjects with HFrEF and 71 control subjects. The mean follow-up time was 13.

Heparin-Binding Protein Enhances NF-κB Pathway-Mediated Inflammatory Gene Transcription in M1 Macrophages via Lactate.

In early-stage sepsis, glucose metabolism is increased primarily through glycolysis in the inflammatory response of M1 macrophages. Heparin-binding protein (HBP) has been linked to sepsis, which can promote macrophage activation and inflammatory factor release. However, the mechanism by which glucose metabolism regulates the inflammatory response is unclear.

Effect of PICALM rs3851179 polymorphism on the default mode network function in mild cognitive impairment.

Alterations in default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity (FC) might accompany the dysfunction of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Indeed, episodic memory impairment is a hallmark of AD, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been associated with a high risk for AD. Phosphatidylinositol-binding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM) (rs3851179) has been associated with AD; in particular, the A allele may serve a protective role, while the G allele serves as a strong genetic risk factor.

Clinical application of the supraorbital key-hole approach to the treatment of unilateral-dominant bilateral frontal contusions.

We compared the surgical efficacy of the supraorbital key-hole approach (SKA) to conventional unilateral frontotemporal craniotomy (UFTC) for the treatment of patients with unilateral-dominant bilateral frontal contusions (BFCs). A retrospective analysis of 62 patients with unilateral-dominant BFCs who underwent surgery at our institute between 2014 and 2017 was performed. There were 26 patients who underwent SKA (group A) and 36 who underwent UFTC (group B).

After microvascular decompression to treat trigeminal neuralgia, both immediate pain relief and recurrence rates are higher in patients with arterial compression than with venous compression.

We explored differences in postoperative pain relief achieved through decompression of the trigeminal nerve compressed by arteries and veins. Clinical characteristics, intraoperative findings, and postoperative curative effects were analyzed in 72 patients with trigeminal neuralgia who were treated by microvascular decompression. The patients were divided into arterial and venous compression groups based on intraoperative findings.

Demethoxycurcumin was superior to temozolomide in the inhibition of the growth of glioblastoma stem cells in vivo.

Temozolomide (TMZ) is widely used in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) as it can effectively inhibit the growth of GBM for some months; however, this cancer type is still incurable. The existence of glioma stem cells (GSCs) is thought to be responsible for the invariable recurrence of GBM after treatment, but GSCs are insensitive to TMZ. Our recent research showed that demethoxycurcumin (DMC), a component of curcumin, was superior to TMZ in its ability to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of GSCs in vitro.

Effective treatment via early cranioplasty for intractable contralateral subdural effusion after standard decompressive craniectomy in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Objective: This study aimed to introduce an effective treatment for intractable contralateral subdural effusion after standard decompressive craniectomy in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to analyze the underlying mechanism.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 13 patients with severe traumatic craniocerebral injury showing complicated intractable contralateral subdural effusion after standard decompressive craniectomy, in whom satisfactory results were not obtained from treatments, including compression bandaging, head-down bed rest (HDBR), continuing lumbar drainage, and Ommaya catheter drainage. Among these patients, 6 underwent temporal muscle sticking, while 7 underwent early cranioplasty.

Technique of ICP Monitored Stepwise Intracranial Decompression Effectively Reduces Postoperative Complications of Severe Bifrontal Contusion.

Background: Bifrontal contusion is a common clinical brain injury. In the early stage, it is often mild, but it progresses rapidly and frequently worsens suddenly. This condition can become life threatening and therefore requires surgery.

Technique of Stepwise Intracranial Decompression Combined with External Ventricular Drainage Catheters Improves the Prognosis of Acute Post-Traumatic Cerebral Hemispheric Brain Swelling Patients.

Background: Acute post-traumatic cerebral hemispheric brain swelling (ACHS) is a serious disorder that occurs after traumatic brain injury, and it often requires immediate treatment. The aim of our clinical study was to assess the effects of stepwise intracranial decompression combined with external ventricular drainage (EVD) catheters on the prognosis of ACHS patients.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 172 cases of severe craniocerebral trauma patients with ACHS.

Low-Dose DMC Significantly Enhances the Effect of TMZ on Glioma Cells by Targeting Multiple Signaling Pathways Both In Vivo and In Vitro.

Temozolomide (TMZ) is widely used for treating glioblastoma (GBM), which can effectively inhibit the GBM growth for some months; however, it still cannot prevent the invariable recurrence of GBM. Improving the chemotherapeutic sensitization becomes an urgent agenda. In this study, we found low-dose demethoxycurcumin (DMC) could enhance the sensitivity of TMZ on glioma cells, and high-dose DMC has more significant effects on GBM cells compared with TMZ treatment alone both in vitro and in vivo.

Curcumin induces glioma stem-like cell formation.

In recent times, dozens of articles have been rushing to report the excellent performance of curcumin in inhibiting the proliferation of glioma cells and in inducing apoptosis and autophagy. However, in this study, we found that curcumin could not only effectively inhibit the proliferation of glioma cells but also induce glioma cells to be stem-like, which showed that it caused some glioma cells to form spheres with CD133 and Nestin positive markers. Further research on its underlying mechanism showed that curcumin suppressed transition of the cells from G1 to S phase and enhanced the expression of Sox4, Sox2, and Oct4, which were essential to retain the stemness properties of glioma-initiating cells.

Circulating microRNAs as novel potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of acute stroke in humans.

Background: Many diseases include microRNAs (miRNAs) as reported biomarkers. The significance of circulating miRNAs for early diagnosis of acute stroke in humans is unknown. We aim to determine whether circulating miRNAs potentially serve as novel biomarkers for acute stroke.

miR-125b promotes cell proliferation by directly targeting Lin28 in glioblastoma stem cells with low expression levels of miR-125b.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that regulate protein expression by cleaving or repressing the translation of target mRNAs. Our previous studies have revealed that miR-125b is a typical overexpressed miRNA in human primary glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs). Here, we report that miR-125b was also found to be significantly underexpressed in three primary GSCs.