The Correspondence Between Magnetic Resonance Images and the Clinical and Intraoperative Status of Patients with Spinal Tumors

Heart Infection Prognosis Analysis by Two-dimensional Spot Tracking Imaging

Cardiovascular death is one of the leading causes worldwide; an accurate identification followed by diagnosing the cardiovascular disease increases the chance of a better recovery. Among different demonstrated strategies, imaging on cardiac infections yields a visible result and highly reliable compared to other analytical methods. Two-dimensional spot tracking imaging is the emerging new technology that has been used to study the function and structure of the heart and test the deformation and movement of the myocardium. Particularly, it helps to capture the images of each segment in different directions of myocardial strain values, such as valves of radial strain, longitudinal strain, and circumferential strain. In this overview, we discussed the imaging of infections in the heart by using the two-dimensional spot tracking.

A rare case of giant osteoblastoma of the sacrum

BACKGROUND

An osteoblastoma is a rare benign bone tumor characterized by formation of osteoid tissue and primitive bone and occurs more often in men than in women. They are often secondary to an osteoid osteoma and can be located at any site on the skeleton. Lesions generally involve the posterior elements of the spine, such as the pedicle and the lamina.

CASE PRESENTATION

This study reports the case of a 25-year-old female who suffered from an osteoblastoma of the right sacrum with repeated swelling and pain in the right lumbosacral region for approximately 6 months. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pelvis revealed a segmented, expansive, multiseptate lesion. Resection with wide margins was performed and a huge cavity of approximately 15 × 8 × 4.4 cm in the right sacrum and pelvis was formed after complete curettage of the tumor. The pathological analysis of the resected tissue was consistent with a benign osteoblastoma. A follow-up was performed 2 years later and the patient was eventually relieved of the pain, the mobility of the right leg was improved and the CT scan demonstrated no evidence of recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Osteoblastomas most commonly occur in the spine but rarely also in the sacrum. Large core needle biopsies play an important role in the diagnostics. Intralesional surgery can be performed for treatment of osteoblastomas.

Effects of ASPP2 on proliferation and apoptosis of malignant spinal tumor cells

Malignant spinal tumors have rapid progression and destruct spines or other tissues, leading to metastasis of peripheral organs, causing high difficulty for surgery, recurrence and worse prognosis, thus severely affecting patient life quality and survival period. Apoptosis stimulating protein 2 of p53 (ASSP2) is one member of p53 binding protein family pro-apoptotic member, and can enhance apoptotic activity via modulating p53 pathway. Previous study found critical roles of ASPP2 in occurrence and progression of tumors, whilst the functional role of mechanism of ASPP2 on malignant spinal tumor cells has not been illustrated. Malignant spinal tumor tissue and adjacent tissues were collected for testing ASPP2 mRNA and protein expression in real-time PCR and Western blot. ASPP2 over-expression vector was used to transfect tumor cells, whilst MTT assay was employed for tumor proliferation, followed by p53 expression in Western blot. Caspase 3 activity assay was employed for testing the effect on cell apoptosis. Flow cytometry was employed for tumor cell apoptosis. Real-time PCR tested expressional change of Bcl2 and Bax. ASPP2 mRNA/protein level was significantly depressed in malignant spinal tumor tissues (P<0.05 compared to adjacent tissues). ASPP2-overexpression vector transfection tumor cells increased apoptosis and inhibited proliferation, accompanied with lower Bcl-2, higher Bax, Caspase 3 and p53 (P<0.05 compared to control group). ASPP2 is down-regulated in malignant spinal tumor tissues. ASPP2 can inhibit malignant spinal tumor cell proliferation via mediating p53 expression for cell apoptosis, thus can work as one molecular target for tumor diagnosis and prognostic analysis.