Cerebellopontine angle ependymoma presenting as isolated hearing loss in an elderly patient: A case report and literature review

Background:

Ependymoma is an uncommon tumor accounting for approximately 1.9% of all adult central nervous system tumors. Ependymomas at the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) are even more rare and only previously described in isolated case reports. Typically, acoustic neuromas and meningiomas represent the bulk of adult CPA tumors. Diagnosis can be challenging, as ependymomas have clinical findings and imaging characteristics that overlap with more common tumor histologies at the CPA.

Case Description:

We present the case of a 70-year-old male patient with progressive, isolated left-sided hearing loss found to have a World Health Organization (WHO) Grade II CPA ependymoma, representing one of the oldest recorded patients presenting with this primarily pediatric malignancy in this unique location. The patient presentation with isolated hearing loss was particularly unusual. When associated with neurologic deficits, CPA ependymomas more characteristically result in facial nerve impairment with fully preserved hearing, while vestibular schwannomas tend to present with isolated hearing loss. The standard of care for pediatric ependymomas is maximal safe resection with adjuvant radiotherapy, but treatment paradigms in adult CPA ependymoma are not well defined particularly for WHO Grade II disease. After resection, he received adjuvant radiation to decrease the risk of local recurrence. Twenty-nine months after resection, the patient remains free of treatment-related toxicity or disease recurrence.

Conclusion:

We review this patient’s clinical course in the context of the literature to highlight the challenges associated with timely diagnosis of this rare tumor and the controversial role of adjuvant therapy in preventing local recurrence in these patients.

[Study on the incidence of adult herpes zoster in Yichang city and its association with early-life famine exposure]

Based on Yichang health big data platform, 850 608 patients from September 2018 to September 2019 were included in this study. According to the date of birth, the participants were divided into early childhood famine exposure group, fetal famine exposure group and non-famine exposure group. The incidence of adult herpes zoster (HZ) in Yichang city was analyzed, and the correlation between early life famine exposure and adult HZ was analyzed. In 2019, the crude incidence rate of adult HZ in Yichang was 6.83‰. The crude incidence rate of adult HZ in females (7.26‰) was higher than that in males (6.40‰). Compared with the non-famine exposure group, fetal famine exposure was associated with the incidence of adult HZ (OR=1.21; 95%CI: 1.01-1.45, P=0.041). After stratification by sex, fetal famine exposure was only found to be associated with the onset of adult HZ in females (OR=1.28, 95%CI:1.02-1.61, P=0.034).

Edoxaban treatment in real-world practice is highly concordant with ESC atrial fibrillation guidelines: results from the non-interventional global ETNA-AF program

Background

The ESC atrial fibrillation management guidelines recommend a risk-based approach to oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy. How clinical practice aligns with these recommendations is of interest.

Purpose

To analyse real world data from Global ETNA-AF program in patient groups stratified by stroke and bleeding risk scores according to ESC guidelines.

Methods

Global ETNA-AF is a multicentre, prospective, noninterventional program evaluating the safety and effectiveness of edoxaban in patients from European and Asian countries. Baseline characteristics and clinical event data at 2-year follow-up were analysed in 4 subgroups defined by CHA2DS2-VASc score (≥3 for female / ≥2 for male [OAC recommended] vs 2 for female / 1 for male [OAC should be considered]) and HAS-BLED score (≥3 [Bleeding risk high] vs <3 [Bleeding risk low]) (Table 1).

Results

Of 27,616 patients included in this analysis, 23,152 (83.8%) were in the “OAC recommended” category and 3,539 (12.8%) were in the “OAC should be considered” category. Only 3.3% of patients did not meet ESC guideline criteria for OAC initiation. Among patients with high bleeding risk, 98% were in the “OAC recommended” category. A similar distribution was observed across regions (Table 2). The recommended edoxaban dose was used in the vast majority (>80%) of patients across all risk stratification subgroups. In the “OAC recommended” category, patients with high bleeding risk had higher rates of thromboembolic, bleeding, and death events than those with low bleeding risk.

Conclusion

Data from routine clinical practice in Global ETNA-AF demonstrate high concordance of edoxaban treatment with ESC guidelines. Edoxaban dose is consistent with label recommendation in the vast majority (>80%) of patients. Clinical event rates were generally low across all risk groups, including acceptable bleeding rates in anticoagulated patients with high bleeding risk.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Daiichi Sankyo Table 1. Subgroups as per ESC guidelinesTable 2. Patient characteristics & events

Temporal trend of clinical events in patients with atrial fibrillation on edoxaban therapy: results from the non-interventional global ETNA-AF program

Background

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who initiated vitamin K antagonist (VKA) were at highest risk of stroke and bleeding in the first few months of therapy. Understanding of the temporal trend of clinical events in AF patients on non-VKA oral anticoagulant (NOAC) therapy should aid therapeutic decisions.

Purpose

To evaluate the temporal trend of clinical events in AF patients receiving edoxaban in routine clinical practice in the Global ETNA-AF program.

Methods

Global ETNA-AF is a multicentre, prospective, noninterventional program evaluating the safety and effectiveness of edoxaban in patients from European and Asian countries. Thromboembolic, bleeding and death events were analysed separately for the 1st and 2nd year of the follow-up period, using a time-to-first-event estimation of cumulative incidence and annual rate via Kaplan-Meier method.

Results

A total of 27,617 patients were included in this analysis, 48.6% from Europe and 51.4% from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Baseline characteristics were consistent with typical AF population in real world studies (Table 1). Approximately 83% of patients received the recommended edoxaban dose. Annualized rates of ischaemic stroke and major bleeding (ISTH) were lower in the 2nd year than in the 1st year: ischaemic stroke 0.59% (95% CI, 0.50–0.70) vs 0.86% (95% CI, 0.75–0.98), p=0.015; major bleeding 0.87% (95% CI, 0.75–1.00) vs 1.15% (95% CI, 1.02–1.29), p=0.036. The trend toward lower rates of ischaemic stroke and major bleeding in the 2nd year was consistent across regions. All-cause mortality increased slightly from the 1st year to the 2nd year, which was not statistically significant and was not driven by cardiovascular (CV) mortality (Table 2).

Conclusion

In routine clinical practice in the Global ETNA-AF program, major bleeding and ischaemic stroke rates in >27,000 patients on edoxaban therapy declined from 1st year to 2nd year. Further analyses will investigate whether such trend is influenced by selection for healthier patients over time. Longer follow-up is needed to better understand long-term trends.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Daiichi Sankyo Table 1. Baseline characteristicsTable 2. Annualised clinical event rates

Directed evolution of AAV accounting for long-term and enhanced transduction of cardiovascular endothelial cells in vivo

Cardiac endothelial cells (ECs) are important targets for cardiovascular gene therapy. However, the approach of stably transducing ECs in vivo using different vectors, including adeno-associated virus (AAV), remains unexamined. Regarding this unmet need, two AAV libraries from DNA shuffling and random peptide display were simultaneously screened in a transgenic mouse model. Cardiac ECs were isolated by cell sorting for salvage of EC-targeting AAV. Two AAV variants, i.e., EC71 and EC73, enriched in cardiac EC, were further characterized for their tissue tropism. Both of them demonstrated remarkably enhanced transduction of cardiac ECs and reduced infection of liver ECs in comparison to natural AAVs after intravenous injection. Significantly, persistent transgene expression was maintained in mouse cardiac ECs in vivo for at least 4 months. The EC71 vector was selected for delivery of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene into cardiac ECs in a mouse model of myocardial infarction. Enhanced eNOS activity was observed in the mouse heart and lung, which was correlated with partially improved cardiac function. Taken together, two AAV capsids were evolved with more efficient transduction in cardiovascular endothelium in vivo, but their endothelial tropism might need to be further optimized for practical application to cardiac gene therapy.

Acetate promotes lipogenesis in adipocytes but not in hepatocytes of chickens

1.The role of acetate in lipogenesis of chickens remains largely unknown. This trial investigated the effect of sodium acetate (SA) on chicken fat metabolism via in vivo and in vitro experiments.2.The results indicated that supplementation of SA (1.0 g/kg feed) showed marginal to moderate stimulation on the area of the abdominal fat cells and triglyceride (TG) content in liver and adipose tissues. It increased the transcription of some genes involved in fat synthesis and deposition, but did not affect free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2) expression in either liver or abdominal fat.3. In cultured hepatocytes treated with 0.01 mM to 5 mM SA, although mRNA levels of ACC1, PPAR, SREBP-1 c, and FFAR2 were upregulated with SA at certain concentrations, TG content and protein expression of lipogenic genes and FFAR2 were not altered at any dosages. In adipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes, high concentrations of SA (5 mM) exhibited significant increments in TG content and accumulated fat droplets, associated with stimulated transcription of FAS, LPL, AD, FABP4, and FFAR2, as well as elevated protein expression of FABP4 and FFAR2.4. The results showed that adipocytes were more sensitive to acetate than hepatocytes in chickens. While acetate played a minor role in hepatic fat metabolism, it promoted lipogenesis in adipocytes via FFAR2 with the involvement of FAS, LPL, and FABP4.

Optical Excitation and Trapping of ^{81}Kr

We have realized optical excitation, trapping, and detection of the radioisotope ^{81}Kr with an isotopic abundance of 0.9 ppt. The 124 nm light needed for the production of metastable atoms is generated by a resonant discharge lamp. Photon transport through the optically thick krypton gas inside the lamp is simulated and optimized to enhance both brightness and resonance. We achieve a state-of-the-art ^{81}Kr loading rate of 1800  atoms/h, which can be further scaled up by adding more lamps. The all-optical approach overcomes the limitations on precision and sample size of radiokrypton dating, enabling new applications in the earth sciences, particularly for dating of polar ice cores.

[Association analysis of famine exposure during early life and risk of hypertension in adulthood]

Objective: To explore the relationship between exposure to famine in early life and the risk of hypertension in adulthood. Methods: The medical data of Yichang Health Management Big Data Center from 2018 to 2019 were analyzed. A retrospective cohort study design was adopted, with hypertension as the study outcome, and different life periods exposed to the Great Famine in China were divided into groups. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between famine exposure in early life and hypertension in adulthood. At the same time, the interaction between gender and famine exposure was analyzed. Results: The age of 142 016 subjects was (60. 56±4.43). Among them, men accounted for 46.36% (65 845/142 016) and women accounted for 53.64% (76 171/142 016). There are 42 575(29.98%), 19 644(13.83%), 28 405(20.00%), 28 305(19.93%), 23 087 (19.93%) in non-famine exposure group, fetal famine exposure group, early childhood famine exposure group and late childhood famine exposure group, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension was 17.57% (24 947 cases). Multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that after adjusting for related confounding factors, compared with non-famine exposure group, the risk of hypertension in fetal, early childhood, middle childhood and late childhood famine exposure group was higher and the OR (95%CI) values were 1.16 (1.11-1.22), 1.27 (1.21-1.33), 1.54 (1.47-1.60) and 1.84 (1.76-1.92), respectively. There was an interaction between sex and famine exposure group (P<0.001). The above association is stronger among women than among men. Conclusion: Famine exposure in early life may increase the risk of hypertension in adulthood, and the risk of women is greater than that of men.

Low bleeding and stroke rates with minor age-dependent increase confirm the safety and effectiveness of edoxaban in patients with atrial fibrillation across age groups: Two-year results from ETNA-AF

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Daiichi Sankyo

Background

Age is a risk factor for ischemic stroke and bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The large dataset from the global prospective, noninterventional ETNA-AF program allows for analysis of the impact of age on clinical events in AF patients treated with edoxaban.

Purpose

Evaluate the safety and effectiveness of edoxaban by age subgroups and the impact of age on clinical events.

Methods

Baseline patient characteristics, thromboembolic and bleeding events, and mortality data were collected from patients with 2-year follow-up in ETNA-AF program and analyzed in defined age subgroups. Cox regression analysis was conducted using age as a continuous variable and clinical events as outcome variables.

Results

A total of 27,617 patients were categorized into four age subgroups: &lt;65, 65-74, 75-84 and ≥85 years. Patient demographics and baseline characteristics are shown in the Table. Percentage of male, mean body weight, and mean creatinine clearance decreased with age, whereas percentages of patients with heart failure, patients on reduced dose edoxaban 30 mg, mean stroke and bleeding risk scores increased with age. The annualized rates of ischemic stroke and major bleeding increased with age, yet remained low. Importantly, the rate of intracranial hemorrhage was low across age groups, including the ≥85 years group.  The hazard ratio (HR) for ischemic stroke was 1.041 (95%CI 1.028-1.053), ie. with a 1-year increase in age, the risk of ischemic stroke increased by 4.1%. The HRs for other clinical events were: major bleeding 1.044 (95%CI 1.033-1.055), intracranial hemorrhage 1.027 (95%CI 1.007-1.046), major gastrointestinal bleeding 1.065 (95%CI 1.048-1.081), all-cause mortality 1.086 (95%CI 1.079-1.093).

Conclusion

Two-year follow-up data from the global ETNA-AF program support the use of edoxaban as a safe and effective treatment for AF patients across all age groups, including the very elderly, in routine clinical care. The impact of age on the risk of ICH was smaller than that of ischemic stroke and major bleeding. &lt;65 yr(N = 4,278) ≥65-74 yr(N = 9,396) ≥75-84 yr(N = 10,728) ≥85 yr(N = 3,214) Age [years], mean (SD)Male, %Weight [kg], mean (SD) 57.3 (6.6)72.580.6 (20.3) 69.9 (2.9)61.973.0 (17.7) 79.1 (2.8)53.968.0 (16.0) 87.9 (2.8)42.260.1 (14.9) CrCL [mL/min], mean (SD)CHA2DS2-VASc, mean (SD)Mod. HAS-BLED≠, mean (SD) 101.8 (33.7)1.6 (1.1)1.4 (1.0) 75.3 (22.3)2.8 (1.2)2.5 (1.1) 57.9 (18.1)4.1 (1.2)2.7 (1.0) 42.5 (14.3)4.4 (1.3)2.7 (1.0) 2-year clinical events Major Bleeding (ISTH)%/yr [95% CI] Intracranial Hemorrhage%/yr [95% CI] Major GI Bleeding%/yr [95% CI] 0.49 [0.35; 0.68] 0.18 [0.09; 0.30] 0.22 [0.13; 0.36] 0.84 [0.70; 0.99] 0.26 [0.18; 0.34] 0.34 [0.26; 0.44] 1.16 [1.00; 1.32] 0.31 [0.23; 0.40]0.60 [0.49; 0.72] 1.88 [1.51; 2.30] 0.46 [0.29; 0.69]1.19 [0.90; 1.53] Any Stroke%/yr [95% CI]Ischemic Stroke%/yr [95% CI]Hemorrhagic Stroke%/yr [95% CI] 0.54 [0.38; 0.73]0.38[0.26; 0.56]0.12[0.06; 0.23] 0.79 [0.66; 0.94]0.59[0.47; 0.71]0.19[0.13; 0.27] 1.15 [1.00; 1.32]0.89[0.76; 1.04]0.23[0.16; 0.31] 1.53 [1.21; 1.92]1.21[0.92; 1.56]0.320.18; 0.52] All-cause Death%/yr [95% CI]CV Death (sensitivity)%/yr [95% CI] 1.05 [0.83; 1.32]0.51[0.36; 0.70] 1.82 [1.62; 2.04]0.83[0.69; 0.98 3.51 [3.25; 3.80]1.65[1.47; 1.84] 9.08 [8.27; 9.96]4.16[3.62; 4.77] ≠Excluding labile INR.

Periprocedural anticoagulation management in edxoaban patients undergoing catheter-based cardiovascular procedures: analyses of the noninterventional global EMIT study

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Daiichi Sankyo

Background

 The optimal periprocedural management of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), including edoxaban, in patients undergoing catheter-based cardiovascular procedures is unknown, and mainly based on physician opinion and experience.

Purpose

To assess real-world management of edoxaban in patients undergoing cardiovascular procedures, and to report their clinical events.

Methods

Global EMIT-AF/VTE is a prospective study of periprocedural management in edoxaban-treated patients undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. We report the data from patients undergoing cardiovascular procedures. Timing and duration of edoxaban interruption were at the treating physician’s discretion. Outcomes were collected from 5 days before until 30 days post procedure. Primary outcome was the incidence of major bleeding (MB); secondary outcomes included incidence of clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB) and acute thromboembolic events (ATE).

Results

Data was collected from 301 and 311 procedures with arterial or venous access, respectively. Baseline characteristics are shown in Table 1. Edoxaban was not interrupted in 36.9% of arterial and 52.7% of venous procedures. Edoxaban was interrupted pre-procedure in 41% of arterial and 32.8% of venous procedures. The median periprocedural interruption was 2 days. The overall incidence of bleeding was very low. Any bleeding was reported in 8 patients undergoing arterial and 10 patients undergoing venous procedures (2.7% and 3.2%). MB or CRNMB occurred in 2 arterial and 3 venous procedures (0.7% and 1.0%) and ATE occurred in 5 arterial and 1 venous procedure (1.7% and 0.3%, Table 1).

Conclusions

In this study, the periprocedural risks of bleeding and thrombotic events were low. About a third of arterial access procedures and half of venous access procedures were performed without edoxaban interruption. Arterial(n = 301) Venous(n = 311) Baseline characteristics Age, year, mean (SD)Male, n (%)Weight (kg), mean (SD) 71.9 (8.5)211 (70.1%)80.8 (16.7) 64.6 (11.1)215 (69.1%)84.1 (17.4) CrCL (mL/min), mean (SD) CHA2DS2-VASc score, mean (SD)HAS-BLED score, mean (SD) 73.5 (29.8) 3.3 (1.5)2.0 (1.0) 88.9 (35.5) 2.2 (1.5)1.3 (1.0) Edoxaban 60 mg / 30 mg, % 73% / 26% 88% / 26% Coronary heart disease, n (%) Congestive heart failure, n (%) 101 (33.6%) 58 (19.3%) 51 (16.4%) 33 (10.6%) Interruption of edoxaban, n (%) No interruption Pre-procedure only Post-procedure only Pre- and post-procedure 111 (36.9%)125 (41.5%)12 (4.0%)53 (17.6%) 164 (52.7%)102 (32.8%)8 (2.6%)37 (11.9%) Clinical events, n (%) MB or CRNMBACSStroke/Transient ischemic attackCV mortalityAll-cause mortality 2 (0.7%)2 (0.7%)3 (1.0%)1 (0.3%)2 (0.7%) 3 (1.0%) 01 (0.3%)00

Annualized clinical event rates during two-year follow-up are low in 27,617 atrial fibrillation patients on edoxaban: results from the global noninterventional ETNA-AF program

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Daiichi Sankyo

Background and Purpose

The large global Edoxaban Treatment in routiNe clinical prActice (ETNA)-AF program was designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of edoxaban, complementing randomized clinical trials.

Methods

ETNA collects data on patient characteristics and clinical events in unselected AF patients treated with edoxaban for stroke prevention, integrating data from prospective, noninterventional studies conducted in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Results

The 2-year follow-up analysis included 27,617 patients, the majority of whom (82.6%) received the recommended dose according to the local label. At baseline, the mean age was 73.6 ± 9.8 years and 58.1% were male. Half of the patients (50.5%) were 75 years or older. The CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.3 ± 1.5, and the modified HAS-BLED score was 2.4 ± 1.1. The rate of ischemic stroke was 0.74%/yr, major bleeding 1.02%/yr, intracranial hemorrhage 0.29%/yr, and major gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding 0.51%/yr. All-cause mortality was 3.13%/yr, and cardiovascular (CV) mortality 1.45%/yr (see Table).

Conclusion

The rates of ischemic stroke and major bleeding events remained low globally and across regions during the two-year follow-up period in AF patients treated with edoxaban. Global(N = 27,617) Japan(N = 11,330) Korea/Taiwan(N = 2,870) Europe(N = 13,417) Age, mean (SD) 73.6 (9.8) 74.2 (10.1) 71.6 (9.5) 73.6 (9.5) Gender, male, % 58.1 59.4 60.2 56.6 Weight [kg], median (IQR) 69 (58, 81) 59 (51, 68) 65 (57, 73) 80 (70, 90) CrCL [mL/min], mean (SD) 68.7 (28.4) 63.9 (25.8) 63.4 (23.7) 74.4 (30.5) CHA2DS2-VASc, mean (SD) 3.3 (1.5) 3.5 (1.7) 3.1 (1.4) 3.2 (1.4) Mod. HAS-BLED≠, mean (SD) 2.4 (1.1) 2.4 (1.1) 2.3 (1.1) 2.5 (1.1) Edoxaban 60mg/30mg, % 53.5 / 46.5 27.6 / 72.4 48.8 / 51.2 76.4 / 23.6 2-year clinical events, N (%/year), [95% CI] Major Bleeding (ISTH) 477 (1.02) [0.93; 1.11] 188 (1.09) [0.94; 1.25] 51 (1.00) [0.74; 1.31] 238 (0.97) [0.85; 1.11] Intracranial Hemorrhage 135 (0.29) [0.24; 0.34] 68 (0.39) [0.30; 0.50] 17 (0.33) [0.19; 0.53] 50 (0.20) [0.15; 0.27] Major GI Bleeding 241 (0.51) [0.45; 0.58] 122 (0.70) [0.58; 0.84] 18 (0.35) [0.21; 0.55] 101 (0.41) [0.33; 0.50] Any Stroke 455 (0.97) [0.88; 1.06] 244 (1.41) [1.24; 1.60] 54 (1.06) [0.80; 1.38] 157 (0.64) [0.54; 0.75] Ischemic Stroke 347 (0.74) [0.66; 0.82] 179 (1.03) [0.89; 1.20] 43 (0.84) [0.61; 1.13] 125 (0.51) [0.42; 0.61] Hemorrhagic Stroke 99 (0.21) [0.17; 0.26] 67 (0.39) [0.30; 0.49] 9 (0.17) [0.08; 0.33] 23 (0.09) [0.06; 0.14] All-cause Death 1479 (3.13) [2.98; 3.30] 470 (2.70) [2.46; 2.96] 72 (1.40) [1.09; 1.76] 937 (3.80) [3.56; 4.05] CV Death 684 (1.45) [1.34; 1.56] 140 (0.80) [0.68; 0.95] 26 (0.50) [0.33; 0.74] 518 (2.10) [1.92; 2.29] ≠Excluding labile INR.

Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Helium Energy Spectrum from 70 GeV to 80 TeV with the DAMPE Space Mission

The measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic ray helium nuclei from 70 GeV to 80 TeV using 4.5 years of data recorded by the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is reported in this work. A hardening of the spectrum is observed at an energy of about 1.3 TeV, similar to previous observations. In addition, a spectral softening at about 34 TeV is revealed for the first time with large statistics and well controlled systematic uncertainties, with an overall significance of 4.3σ. The DAMPE spectral measurements of both cosmic protons and helium nuclei suggest a particle charge dependent softening energy, although with current uncertainties a dependence on the number of nucleons cannot be ruled out.

LncRNA DSCAM-AS1 promoted cell proliferation and invasion in osteosarcoma by sponging miR-101

OBJECTIVE

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in osteosarcoma (OS) progression. LncRNA DSCAM-AS1 has been reported to function as a tumor promoter in various cancers. However, the potential mechanism of DSCAM-AS1 in OS remains rarely know.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression levels of DSCAM-AS1 and miR-101 were detected by RT-qPCR. The correlation between DSCAM-AS1 and miR-101 expression was analyzed by Pearson's correlation. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the overall survival rate. Cell viability and invasion were assessed by MTT assay and transwell assays, respectively. A Luciferase reporter assay was used to identify the relationship between DSCAM-AS1 and miR-101.

RESULTS

In the present study, it was demonstrated that DSCAM-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in OS tissues and cells and high expression of DSCAM-AS1 predicted poor prognosis in OS patients. In addition, the silencing of DSCAM-AS1 suppressed the viability and invasion of OS cells, while DSCAM-AS1 overexpression promoted cell viability and invasion. Furthermore, we found that DSCAM-AS1 inhibited miR-101 expression by direct interaction and DSCAM-AS1 promoted OS progression by sponging miR-101. In addition, miR-101 expression was negatively correlated with DSCAM-AS1 expression. Patients with low miR-101 expression had a shorter overall survival time compared with those with high miR-101 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated that DSCAM-AS1 accelerated OS cell progression by sponging miR-101, which might provide a new sight in the treatment of OS.

[Clinico-pathological and follow-up analysis of 5 skeletal muscle single-organ vasculitis cases]

Objectives: To delineate clinico-pathological features, treatment and outcome of skeletal muscle single-organ vasculitis (SM-SOV). Methods: The clinico-pathological characteristic of SM-SOV cases treated over 3 years in China-Japan Friendship Hospital were retrospectively analyzed and the data were compared with the cases from the literature. Results: Five patients (2 women and 3 men) with a median age of 36 years were included in this study. The main clinical manifestations were lower limb myalgia (5/5) and fever (1/5). The most frequent laboratory findings included high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (5/5), high C reactive protein (5/5) and leukocytosis (1/5). No elevated creatine kinase (CK) was found in these cases. Four patients received electromyogram examination and none of them showed myogenic injury. On MRI, hyperintense signals in T₂ weighted image (T₂WI) and/or short TI inversion recovery (STIR) and normal unenhanced T₁ weighted image (T₁WI) of one or several leg muscles was founded in all 5 patients. All muscle specimens showed nongranulomatous vasculitis without myonecrosis affecting small sized artery (5/5) in perimysia (75.0%, 3/4) or both perimysia and fascia (25.0%, 1/4). Corticosteroids (5/5) and immunosuppressants (5/5) were the main agents prescribed. With a median follow-up of 24 months, sustained remission was observed in 3 patients, relapses occurred in 2 patients. Conclusion: SM-SOV should be considered for patients with lower limb myalgia, high inflammatory markers and normal/low CK level. The diagnosis of SM-SOV should be applied when there are both histologic evidence of vasculitis and a minimum of 6 months of follow-up surveillance without evidences suggesting extra-muscular involvement. Corticosteroid combined with immunosuppressant is effective.

[Cathepsin L mediates glomerular endothelial cell injury by cleavaging complement C3 in trichloroethylene-sensitized mice]

Objective: To observe the expressions of complement 3 (C3) and endothelial cell injury-associated proteins before and after cathepsin L (CTSL) blockade in renal injury of trichloroethylene (TCE) -sensitized mice. Methods: In June 2018, 41 SPF female BALB/c mice were divided respectively into blank control group (n=5) , vehicle control group (n=5) , TCE group (n=15) and TCE+CTSLi group (n=16) to establish trichloroethylene-sensitized mice model by pretreating the mice with intraperitoneal injection of CTSL inhibitor (CTSLi) and using TCE for the first and last challenge. According to the skin sensitization score, the mice were divided into positive group and negative group. 72 hours after the last challenge, the renal function indexes of the mice were detected, the pathological changes of mice kidneys were observed, and the glomerular C3 and endothelial cell damage-related proteins [vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) , tight junction protein 5 (Claudin-5) and Syndecan-1] expression levels were detected. Results: The sensitization rates of mice in TCE group and TCE+CTSLi group were 53.3% (8/15) and 50.0% (8/16) , respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) . Compared with vehicle control group and the corresponding TCE negative group, the serum creatinine (CRE) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels of mice in the TCE positive group was increased, while the TCE positive group were higher than the TCE+CTSLi positive group (P<0.05) . Pathological examination showed obvious vacuolar degeneration and cellular edema in the mice kidney of the TCE positive group. In the TCE+CTSLi positive group, the above pathological damage was significantly improved. Immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of glomerular C3 fragment and VCAM-1 in TCE positive group were significantly higher than that of the vehicle control and TCE negative group (P<0.05) , while TCE+CTSLi positive group was significantly lower than that of TCE positive group (P<0.05) . Western blot test results showed that the relative expression levels of Claudin-5 and Syndecan-1 protein in the mice glomeruli of TCE positive group were significantly lower than those in the vehicle control group and TCE negative group (P<0.05) . Compared with the TCE positive group, the Claudin-5 protein was increased in the kidney of the TCE+CTSLi positive group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05) , while the Syndecan-1 protein was significantly increased in the TCE+CTSLi positive group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: CTSL may mediate the glomerular structural damage by cutting complement C3, activating the complement system, damaging endothelial cell structural protein Syndecan-1 and overexpressing adhesion molecule VCAM-1 in TCE-sensitized mice. Inhibiting the expression of CTSL may be an effective way to protect the glomerular integrity of structure and function in pharmacology.