Long Coding RNA XIST Contributes to Neuronal Apoptosis through the Downregulation of AKT Phosphorylation and Is Negatively Regulated by miR-494 in Rat Spinal Cord Injury

Recent evidence has suggested that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, including spinal cord injury (SCI). However, little is known about the role of lncRNAs in SCI. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential functions of lncRNAs in SCI and to identify the underlying mechanisms of action. We firstly analyzed Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets to investigate aberrantly-expressed lncRNAs which might be involved in the pathogenesis of SCI. The long non-coding RNA X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) was found to be one of the most significantly upregulated lncRNAs in the GEO dataset analysis, and is associated with apoptosis. We, therefore, selected this as a candidate lncRNA and investigated its function. We found that knockdown of lncRNA-XIST by Lv-shRNA had a prominent protective effect on SCI recovery by suppressing apoptosis through reactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in rat spinal cord tissue. In particular, our results suggested that lncRNA-XIST may act as a competitive endogenous RNA, effectively becoming a sink for miR-494, leading to derepression of its target gene, phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN). In addition, an inverse relationship between lncRNA-XIST and miR-494 was observed in spinal cord tissues of SCI rats. Further study demonstrated that antagomiR-494 could reverse the protective effects of lncRNA-XIST knockdown on SCI rats through blocking the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These results suggested that lncRNA-XIST knockdown may play an important role in limiting neuronal apoptosis in rats following SCI, and that the observed protective effects of lncRNA-XIST knockdown might have been mediated by its regulation on the phosphorylation of AKT by competitively binding miR-494. These findings have revealed, for the first time, the importance of the XIST/miR-494/PTEN/AKT signaling axis in the pathogenesis of SCI and suggest that lncRNA-XIST may be a promising molecular target for SCI therapy.

Abstract P3-17-01: Long-term rates of breast preservation after breast-conserving therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ

Background: Despite evidence that radiotherapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) halves the risk of recurrence, the benefit of RT in the management of DCIS continues to be a matter of controversy. One argument against the use of RT after BCS is that patients who develop ipsilateral local recurrence (LR) can be salvaged with further breast-conserving surgery such that the omission of RT will lead to high rates of breast preservation while minimizing exposure to RT. Breast preservation is an important determinant of quality of life for women with early stage breast cancer and DCIS. Yet the management of LR and the impact of RT on the resultant long-term risks of bilateral breast preservation in a population of women with DCIS are unclear. We assessed the treatment of LR, the impact of RT on the use of salvage mastectomy and the long-term risks of bilateral breast preservation achieved in a population of women with DCIS treated with BCS alone or BCS+RT.

Methods: A population-based analysis of women diagnosed with DCIS from 1994-2003 treated with BCS alone or BCS+RT with pathology review. Treatment and outcomes, including the development of LR and contralateral breast events, were determined by administrative databases with validation by review of operative or pathology reports. Median follow-up was 10.2 years for cases treated by BCS alone, 11.6 years for those treated by BCS+RT. We used a propensity-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate factors associated with the use of salvage mastectomy for LR and to evaluate factors associated with any mastectomy. We assessed the risk of long-term breast preservation by calculating the KM 10-year risk of ipsilateral mastectomy and any mastectomy.

Results: The population cohort includes 3303 women with pure DCIS;1649 (50%) were treated by BCS alone, 1654 (50%) received BCS+RT. Women treated with RT had more high risk features of DCIS than those treated by BCS alone. LR developed in 343 (21%) women treated by BCS alone and in 257 (15.5%) women treated by BCS+RT (p<0.01). Most women who developed LR received salvage mastectomy, irrespective of age at diagnosis and histology. Salvage mastectomy was used in 57.4% (197/343) of cases that recurred after BCS alone and in 67.6% (173/257) that recurred after BCS+RT. The likelihood of receiving salvage mastectomy for LR was similar in patients initially treated by BCS+RT vs. those initially treated BCS alone. Most (90%) of mastectomies were performed for a LR. Overall, individuals initially treated by BCS+RT had a 29% lower probability of having a mastectomy at 10 years compared to those treated by BCS alone (HR=0.71, 95%CI: 0.60,0.84,p<0.0001). The 10 year mastectomy-free survival rates are 82.7% for women initially treated by BCS alone and 87.3% for those treated by BCS+RT (p=0.0096).

Conclusion: Women who received RT after BCS for DCIS experience a greater likelihood of long-term bilateral breast preservation. This is attributable to the lower risks of LR and that most local recurrences after breast-conserving therapy are treated by salvage mastectomy. Long-term breast preservation should be considered in discussions weighing the benefits and risks of RT after conservative surgery for DCIS.

Citation Format: Rakovitch E, Nofech-Mozes S, Hanna W, Gu S, Fong C, Tuck A, Sengupta S, Elavathil L, Jani P, Done S, Miller N, Youngson B, Bonin M, Chang M, Paszat L. Long-term rates of breast preservation after breast-conserving therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-17-01.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases and risk of colorectal neoplasia

BACKGROUND

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with colorectal neoplasia. Yet, NAFLD ranges from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis.

AIM

To investigate the risk of colorectal neoplasia according to the presence and severity of NAFLD.

METHODS

A total of 26 540 asymptomatic adults who underwent same day first-time colonoscopy and abdominal ultrasonography as a health check-up programme were analysed. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Advanced colorectal neoplasia was defined as an invasive cancer or adenoma that was at least 10 mm in diameter, had high-grade dysplasia, or had villous histological characteristics or any combination thereof.

RESULTS

NAFLD patients had a higher prevalence of any colorectal neoplasia (38.0% vs. 28.9%) and advanced colorectal neoplasia (2.8% vs. 1.9%) compared to those without NAFLD. In a multivariable model adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, first-degree family history of colorectal cancer, aspirin use and metabolic factors, the odd ratios comparing patients with NAFLD to those without were 1.10 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.17] for any colorectal neoplasia and 1.21 (95% CI: 0.99-1.47) for advanced colorectal neoplasia. When NAFLD patients were further stratified according to the non-invasive parameters of liver disease severity, the risk of any colorectal neoplasia or advanced colorectal neoplasia was higher for those with severe liver diseases than those with mild liver diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence and severity of NAFLD were closely associated with any colorectal neoplasia and advanced colorectal neoplasia, suggesting that clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of colorectal neoplasia in patients with NAFLD.

Development of qPCR systems to quantify shoot infections by canker-causing pathogens in stone fruits and nut crops

AIMS

To develop real-time PCR assays for quantification of shoot infection levels of canker disease of stone fruits and nut crops caused by six fungal pathogen groups.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study focused on six major canker-causing fungal pathogen groups: Phomopsis sp., Botryosphaeria dothidea, Lasiodiplodia sp., Cytospora sp., Neofusicoccum sp. and Diplodia sp., occurring in stone fruits and nut crops in California. DNA primers were designed to specifically target each of the six pathogen groups after the specificity tests using canker-causing and non-canker-causing pathogens and by using DNA sequences of other species from GenBank using blast. The quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) systems were developed and used to quantify the infection levels of inoculated dried plum shoots.

CONCLUSIONS

For Neofusicoccum sp. and Phomopsis sp., which were used in inoculation of walnut shoots, the values of the molecular severity ranged from 5·60 to 6·94 during the 16 days of latent infection period. The qPCR assays were more efficient, accurate and precise to quantify latent infections caused by canker-causing pathogens as compared to the traditional plating methods.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study demonstrated the potential of using the developed qPCR systems for epidemiological studies on canker diseases of woody plants.

Annual surveillance mammography after early-stage breast cancer and breast cancer mortality

BACKGROUND

After treatment for early-stage breast cancer (bca), annual surveillance mammography (asm) is recommended based on the assumption that early detection of an invasive ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence or subsequent invasive contralateral primary bca reduces bca mortality.

METHODS

We studied women with unilateral early-stage bca treated by breast-conserving surgery from 1994 to 1997 who subsequently developed an ipsilateral recurrence or contralateral primary more than 24 months after initial diagnosis, without prior regional or distant metastases. Annual surveillance mammography was defined as 2 episodes of bilateral mammography 11-18 months apart during the 2 years preceding the ipsilateral recurrence or contralateral primary. The association between asm and bca death was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

We identified 669 women who experienced invasive ipsilateral recurrence (n = 455) or a contralateral primary (n = 214) at a median interval of 53 months [interquartile range (iqr): 37-72 months] after initial diagnosis, 64.7% of whom had received asm during the preceding 2 years. The median interval between the 2 bilateral mammograms was 12.3 months (iqr: 11.9-13.0 months), and the median interval between the 2nd mammogram and histopathologic confirmation of ipsilateral recurrence or contralateral primary was 1.5 months (iqr: 0.8-3.9 months). Median followup after ipsilateral recurrence or contralateral primary was 7.76 years (iqr: 3.68-9.81 years). The adjusted hazard ratio for bca death associated with asm was 0.86 (95% confidence limits: 0.63, 1.16).

CONCLUSIONS

Annual surveillance mammography was associated with a modestly lowered hazard ratio for bca death.

Nonlinear Transition from Mitigation to Suppression of the Edge Localized Mode with Resonant Magnetic Perturbations in the EAST Tokamak

Evidence of a nonlinear transition from mitigation to suppression of the edge localized mode (ELM) by using resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) in the EAST tokamak is presented. This is the first demonstration of ELM suppression with RMPs in slowly rotating plasmas with dominant radio-frequency wave heating. Changes of edge magnetic topology after the transition are indicated by a gradual phase shift in the plasma response field from a linear magneto hydro dynamics modeling result to a vacuum one and a sudden increase of three-dimensional particle flux to the divertor. The transition threshold depends on the spectrum of RMPs and plasma rotation as well as perturbation amplitude. This means that edge topological changes resulting from nonlinear plasma response plays a key role in the suppression of ELM with RMPs.

Growing degree hours - a simple, accurate, and precise protocol to approximate growing heat summation for grapevines

Despite its low accuracy and consistency, growing degree days (GDD) has been widely used to approximate growing heat summation (GHS) for regional classification and phenological prediction. GDD is usually calculated from the mean of daily minimum and maximum temperatures (GDDmm) above a growing base temperature (T gb). To determine approximation errors and accuracy, daily and cumulative GDDmm was compared to GDD based on daily average temperature (GDDavg), growing degree hours (GDH) based on hourly temperatures, and growing degree minutes (GDM) based on minute-by-minute temperatures. Finite error, due to the difference between measured and true temperatures above T gb is large in GDDmm but is negligible in GDDavg, GDH, and GDM, depending only upon the number of measured temperatures used for daily approximation. Hidden negative error, due to the temperatures below T gb when being averaged for approximation intervals larger than measuring interval, is large in GDDmm and GDDavg but is negligible in GDH and GDM. Both GDH and GDM improve GHS approximation accuracy over GDDmm or GDDavg by summation of multiple integration rectangles to reduce both finite and hidden negative errors. GDH is proposed as the standardized GHS approximation protocol, providing adequate accuracy and high precision independent upon T gb while requiring simple data recording and processing.

Multistate transitional models for measuring adherence to breast cancer screening: A population-based longitudinal cohort study with over two million women

Objective

Prior work on the disparities among women in breast cancer screening adherence has been methodologically limited. This longitudinal study determines and examines the factors associated with becoming adherent.

Methods

In a cohort of Canadian women aged 50–74, a three-state transitional model was used to examine adherence to screening for breast cancer. The proportion of time spent being non-adherent with screening was calculated for each woman during her observation window. Using age as the time scale, a relative rate multivariable regression was implemented under the three-state transitional model, to examine the association between covariates (all time-varying) and the rate of becoming adherent.

Results

The cohort consisted of 2,537,960 women with a median follow-up of 8.46 years. Nearly 31% of women were continually up-to-date with breast screening. Once a woman was non-adherent, the rate of becoming adherent was higher among longer term residents (relative rate = 1.289, 95% confidence interval 1.275–1.302), those from wealthier neighbourhoods, and those who had an identifiable primary care provider who was female or had graduated in Canada.

Conclusion

Individual and physician-level characteristics play an important role in a woman’s adherence to screening. This work improves the quality of evidence regarding disparities among women in adherence to breast cancer screening and provides a novel methodological foundation to investigate adherence for other types of screening, including cervix and colorectal cancer screening.

The association between visiting a primary care provider and uptake of periodic mammograms as women get older

Objective

To determine whether visits to a primary care provider (PCP) are associated with the uptake of periodic mammograms as women get older.

Methods

The cohort consisted of 2,389,889 women resident in Ontario, Canada, aged 50 to 79 at any point from 2001 to 2010, who were cancer-free and eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan prior to study entry. Non-parametric estimation was used to describe the mean cumulative number of periodic mammograms for women with and without recent exposure to a PCP, as a function of age. Using age as the time scale, a recurrent event regression model was also implemented to examine the association between exposure to a PCP and rate of periodic mammograms, adjusted for income quintile and comorbidity.

Results

The mean observation window was 7.0 years. Uptake of periodic mammograms was significantly higher for women with recent exposure to a PCP compared with those without. This trend remained consistent as women aged, and the magnitude of the association increased for women aged 65 or older. The relative rate of periodic mammograms was lower than 1 and consistently decreased as women from lower income quintiles were compared with women from the wealthiest quintile.

Conclusion

Visits to a PCP play an important role in uptake of periodic mammograms, and this association increases as women age.

Probable aerosol transmission of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in southeastern China

Some clusters of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infection were reported in China as of 2010. However, to date, there has been no epidemiologic evidence of aerosol transmission of SFTSV. Epidemiologic investigations were conducted after a cluster of 13 cases of SFTSV in May 2014. A total of 13 cases, including 11 confirmed cases and one clinically diagnosed case, were identified besides the case of the index patient. The index patient experienced onset of SFTSV on 23 April and died on 1 May. The patients with secondary cases had onset from 10 to 16 May, peaking on 13 May. Moreover, eight secondary cases occurred in family members of the index patient, and the other five cases occurred in neighbors of the index patient. According to epidemiologic investigations, patients 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 12 contracted the disease through contact with blood of the index patient. Notably, patients 8 and 10 did not have a history of contact with the blood of the index patient, but they stayed in the mourning hall for hours. SFTSV could be transmitted from person to person by direct contact and/or aerosol transmission, and it is important to consider aerosol transmission as a possible transmission route.

Arterial flow regulator enables transplantation and growth of human fetal kidneys in rats

Here we introduce a novel method of transplanting human fetal kidneys into adult rats. To overcome the technical challenges of fetal-to-adult organ transplantation, we devised an arterial flow regulator (AFR), consisting of a volume adjustable saline-filled cuff, which enables low-pressure human fetal kidneys to be transplanted into high-pressure adult rat hosts. By incrementally withdrawing saline from the AFR over time, blood flow entering the human fetal kidney was gradually increased until full blood flow was restored 30 days after transplantation. Human fetal kidneys were shown to dramatically increase in size and function. Moreover, rats which had all native renal mass removed 30 days after successful transplantation of the human fetal kidney were shown to have a mean survival time of 122 days compared to 3 days for control rats that underwent bilateral nephrectomy without a prior human fetal kidney transplant. These in vivo human fetal kidney models may serve as powerful platforms for drug testing and discovery.

Knockdown of immature colon carcinoma transcript-1 inhibits proliferation of glioblastoma multiforme cells through Gap 2/mitotic phase arrest

“Glioblastoma multiforme” (GBM) is the frequent form of malignant glioma. Immature colon carcinoma transcript-1 (ICT1) is essential for cell vitality and mitochondrial function and has been recognized in several human cancers. In the study reported here, we attempted to evaluate the functional role of ICT1 in GBM cells. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) was applied to silence ICT1 expression in human GBM cell lines U251 and U87. Cell proliferation was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony-formation assays. Cell-cycle progression was determined by flow cytometry with propidium iodide staining. The results revealed that lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) can specifically suppress the expression of ICT1 in U251 and U87 cells. Functional investigations proved for the first time, as far as we are aware, that ICT1 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation of both cell lines. Moreover, the cell cycle of U251 cells was arrested at Gap 2 (G2)/mitotic (M) phase after ICT1 knockdown, with a concomitant accumulation of cells in the Sub-Gap 1 (G1) phase. This study highlights the crucial role of ICT1 in promoting GBM cell proliferation, and provides a foundation for further study into the clinical potential of lentivirus-mediated silencing of ICT1 for GBM therapy.

Aberrant activation of Hedgehog/Gli1 pathway on angiogenesis in gliomas

BACKGROUND

Hedgehog/Gli1 (HH/Gli1) pathway plays an important role in the patterning and development of the central nervous system during embryogenesis. Recent data have shown its potential involvement in a subset of human gliomas and inhibition of the pathway resulted in tumor suppression in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The underlying mechanisms of tumor suppression, however, remain to be fully elucidated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gli1 expression was investigated in 60 surgically resected glioma tissues (World Health Organization (WHO) III-IV).

RESULTS

Gli1 was expressed in 43 gliomas with high Gli1 expression in nine cases, moderate expression in 21 cases, and low expression in 13 cases. Additionally, microvessel counts were higher in Gli1 positive gliomas than those in Gli1 negative gliomas. Gli1 expression in gliomas was positively correlated with microvessel density (MVD). To explore the molecular mechanisms of the phenotypic changes, we performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot analysis to monitor the changes of a series of genes, which play critical roles in the regulation of glioma angiogenesis. In conclusion, HH/Gli1 pathway inhibition resulted in down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) expressions, whereas this pathway activation led to up-regulation of VEGF, MMP2, and MMP9 expressions. These molecular changes of the HH/Gli1 pathway inhibited by indirect drug approach were consistent with Gli1 RNA-interference (RNAi) in glioma cell lines.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrated that the aberrantly active HH/Gli1 pathway contributed to angiogenesis in part through induction of VEGF, MMP2, and MMP9.

p53 inhibition provides a pivotal protective effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury in vitro via mTOR signaling

Tumor suppressor p53 has recently been reported to have numerous functions independent of tumorigenesis, including neuronal survival during ischemia. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a central role in the regulation of metabolism, cell growth, development, and cell survival. Our recent work has demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of the mTOR pathway. Considering that p53 is also an important regulator of mTOR, to further clarify the role of p53 and the mTOR signaling pathway in neuronal ischemic-reperfusion injury, we used mouse primary mixed cultured neurons with an oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) model to mimic an ischemic-reperfusion injury in vitro. A lentiviral system was also used to inhibit or overexpress p53 to determine whether p53 alteration affects OGD and reperfusion injury. Our results show that activated p53 was induced and it suppressed mTOR expression in primary mixed cultured neurons after OGD and reperfusion. Inhibiting p53, using either a chemical inhibitor or lentiviral-mediated shRNA, exhibited neuroprotective effects in primary cultured neurons against OGD and reperfusion injury through the upregulation of mTOR activity. Such protective effects could be reversed by rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor. Conversely, p53 overexpression tended to exacerbate the detrimental effects of OGD injury by downregulating mTOR activity. These results suggest that p53 inhibition has a pivotal protective effect against an in vitro ischemia-reperfusion injury via mTOR signaling and provides a potential and promising therapeutic target for stroke treatment.

Occurrence of Polyphenols, Organic Acids, and Sugars among Diverse Elderberry Genotypes Grown in Three Missouri (USA) Locations

Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) is an emerging horticultural crop used in a variety of foods, wines, and dietary supplements. A better understanding of the elderberry juice complex including its putative health-promoting compounds in relation to genetic and environmental parameters is needed. A multi-location planting of nine elderberry genotypes was established in 2008 at three geographically-diverse sites in Missouri, USA. Fruits were harvested from replicated plots 2009-2011, frozen, and later prepared for laboratory analysis. Polyphenols, organic acids, and sugars were quantified by HPLC and the results evaluated for response to genotype, site, and year. The American genotypes 'Ocoee' and 'Ozark' were consistently higher in chlorogenic acids compared to other genotypes, whereas 'Ocoee' was significantly higher in rutin than 'Ozark'. The European 'Marge' was significantly higher in isoquercitrin and other flavonoids compared to most North American genotypes. Significant differences in polyphenols were also detected among sites and production years. Malic, citric, and tartaric acids varied significantly among genotypes, sites, and years, whereas succinic, shikimic, and fumaric acids generally did not. Levels of lactic, acetic, and propionic acids were negligible in most samples. The American genotype 'Ocoee' was higher in citric and tartaric acids, while lower in malic acid. The sugars glucose and fructose also responded significantly to genotype, site, and year. 'Ocoee', 'Ozark', and 'Marge' perform very well in Missouri horticulturally and appear to have additional potential as cultivars based on their unique juice characteristics.

Horticultural Performance of Eight American Elderberry Genotypes at Three Missouri Locations

American elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis) is being increasingly cultivated in North America for its edible and medicinal fruit and flowers, yet remains largely undeveloped as a horticultural crop. Productive genotypes with desirable horticultural attributes, including disease and insect resistance, precocity, uniform fruit ripening, and large berry size are needed in order to advance the commercial production of elderberries. A four-year study of eight elderberry genotypes was established in 2008 at three diverse Missouri (USA) locations. Phenology, plant morphology, pest susceptibility, productivity, and fruit characteristics data were collected over three growing seasons, 2009-2011. Significant differences for most phenological, horticultural, and fruit juice characteristics were observed among the three sites, three years, and eight genotypes. The genotype 'Ozark' was the earliest to break bud, produced fruit with high levels of soluble solids, and out-yielded most other genotypes at the three sites over the three-year study. None of the new genotypes produced berries as large as or larger than the standard 'York' which is known for its large fruit. Some of the genotypes tested, especially 'Ozark' show promise as potential cultivars and as breeding stock for further development of elderberry as a commercially-viable horticultural crop.

'Marge': a European Elderberry for North American Producers

Elderberries are being increasingly produced and consumed in North America for their edible and medicinal flowers and fruits. The American elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis) is native to, and most often cultivated in North America. The European elderberry (S. nigra subsp. nigra) has been developed into an economically-important horticultural crop in Europe, but most European cultivars do not perform well in the midwestern USA. The genotype S. nigra subsp. nigra 'Marge' is an open-pollinated seedling of S. nigra subsp. nigra 'Haschberg', which is one of the most popular elderberry cultivars grown in Europe. In a four-year study (one establishment year followed by 3 production years; 2008-2011) at three Missouri (USA) locations, 'Marge' significantly out-performed and out-yielded eight American elderberry genotypes within the same replicated field plots. Across 3 production years at all three sites, 'Marge' achieved budbreak later, flowered earlier, suffered less Eriophyid mite damage, was taller, produced larger berries, and yielded significantly greater amounts of fruit compared with all eight American elderberry genotypes in the study. At one site, 'Marge' produced three times the yield (1.89 kg/plant) compared with the next highest-producing American elderberry genotype (0.65 kg/plant). It is an exceptionally robust and drought-resistant elderberry. The phenotypic attributes of 'Marge' are similar to that of European elderberry except that it performs exceptionally well in the midwestern USA. DNA marker results, along with phenological and morphological characteristics, indicate that 'Marge' is a European elderberry (S. nigra subsp. nigra). As with most European genotypes, 'Marge' does not fruit on first-year wood, and will therefore require a different pruning regimen compared with American elderberry for success in North American production. We do not yet know how 'Marge' will perform outside the midwestern USA, but it is so productive, unique, and mite resistant, that it merits introduction as a cultivar.

Identification of dysregulated miRNAs and their regulatory signature in glioma patients using the partial least squares method

Using microarray data, the present study identified differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) and evaluated their regulatory characteristics in high-grade glioma patients, with the aim to further the understanding into the underlying etiology of the condition. Previously, studies have generally implemented regression or variance analysis, which ignores various background biological factors. However, in the present study, analysis was performed with microarray data collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus database using a partial least squares-based method, which is more sensitive in handling microarray data. Among the six identified differentially expressed miRNAs, hsa-miR-21 and hsa-miR-612 have been previously reported to be associated with glioma. In addition, the remaining miRNAs, hsa-miR-4680, hsa-miR-1908, hsa-miR-4656 and hsa-miR-4467, may also contribute to glioma progression since they are all associated with the tumorigenesis of other types of cancer. Moreover, the expression levels of hsa-miR-1908, hsa-miR-4656 and hsa-miR-4680 have been identified to significantly correlate with the survival rate. Enrichment analysis of the dysregulated target genes revealed that the selected miRNAs primarily affect biological processes in the nervous system and the protein phosphorylation process. Therefore, the results may offer a new understanding into the pathogenesis of high-grade glioma.

[Prognostic analyses of intramedullary high grade astrocytomas]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the prognostic factors of intramedullary high grade astrocytomas.

METHODS

Retrospective analyses were conducted for 21 surgical patients with high grade astrocytoma in spinal cord during 2008 to 2012 at our hospital. Their preoperative and postoperative profiles were recorded and evaluated by modified McCormick classification scheme.

RESULTS

Their median age was 32.5 years. There were anaplastic astrocytoma (n = 14) and glioblastoma (n = 7). The prognoses of high grade astrocytomas were correlated with pathology grade and MIB-1 index. No statistic significance existed in age, gender, McCormick score, extent of resection, radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Intramedullary high grade astrocytoma has a low incidence, but its outcome is poor. Once definitely diagnosed, operation is recommended as early as possible. Frozen pathology should be performed to determine the extent of resection. After operation, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also suggested.

Anatomical study of suboccipital vertebral arteries and surrounding bony structures using virtual reality technology

Background

This work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) technology in neurosurgical anatomy through a comparison of the virtual 3D microanatomy of the suboccipital vertebral arteries and their bony structures as part of the resection of tumors in the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) of 20 patients compared to the actual microanatomy of the vertebral arteries of 15 cadaveric headsets.

Material/Methods

The study was conducted with 2 groups of data: a VR group composed of 20 clinical cases and a physical body group (PB group) composed of 15 cadaveric headsets. In the VR group, the dissection and measurements of the vertebral arteries were simulated on a Dextroscope. In the PB group, the vertebral arteries in the cadaver heads were examined under a microscope and anatomical measurements of VA and bony structures were performed. The length and course of the vertebral arteries and its surrounding bony structures in each group were compared.

Results

The distances from the inferior part of the transverse process foramen (TPF) of C1 to the inferior part of TPF of C2 were 17.68±2.86 mm and 18.4±1.82 mm in the PB and VR groups, respectively. The distances between the middle point of the posterior arch of the atlas and the medial intersection of VA on the groove were 17.35±2.23 mm in the PB group and 18.13±2.58 mm in the VR group. The distances between the middle line and the entrance of VA to the lower rim of TPF of Atlas were 28.64±2.67 mm in PB group and 29.23±2.89 mm in VR group. The diameters of the vertebral artery (VA) at the end of the groove and foramen of C2 transverse process were 4.02±046 mm and 4.25±0.51 mm, respectively, in the PB group and 3.54±0.44 mm and 4.47±0.62 mm, respectively, in VR group. The distances between the VA lumen center and midline of the foramen magnum at the level of dural penetration was 10.4±1.13 mm in the PB group and 11.5±1.34 mm in the VR group (P>0.05).

Conclusions

VR technology can accurately simulate the anatomical features of the suboccipital vertebral arteries and their bony structures, which facilitates the planning of individual surgeries in the CVJ.