Neuro growth

BACKGROUND: NF2-associated meningiomas are progressive, highly morbid, and nonresponsive to chemotherapies, highlighting the need for improved treatments. We have established aberrant activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in NF2 -deficient tumors, leading to clinical trials with first- and second-generation mTOR inhibitors. However, results have been mixed, showing stabilized tumor growth without shrinkage offset by adverse side effects. To address these limitations, here we explored the potential of third-generation, bi-steric mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibitors using the preclinical tool compound RMC-6272...

According to WHO, "complementary feeding (CF) is the process starting when breast milk alone or infant formula alone is no longer sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants, and therefore, other foods and liquids are needed, along with breast human milk or a breastmilk substitute". CF is one of the most important "critical and sensitive periods" in human life: indeed, timing and approaches to solid foods introduction in an infant's nutrition are of utmost importance as potential epigenetic factors from infancy to adulthood...

The pathophysiology of nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH), a rare neuro-metabolic disorder associated with severe brain malformations and life-threatening neurological manifestations, remains incompletely understood. Therefore, a valid human neural model is essential. We aimed to investigate the impact of GLDC gene variants, which cause NKH, on cellular fitness during the differentiation process of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into iPSC-derived astrocytes and to identify sustainable mechanisms capable of overcoming GLDC deficiency...

Purpose: To present a rare case of subfoveal choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) secondary to idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Methods: A case was evaluated. Results: A 21-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of painless blurred vision in the right eye. She described initial metamorphopsia and intermittent bitemporal headaches lasting 30 minutes. She denied pain with eye movements and a history of trauma. Her body mass index was 49 kg/m2 . The visual acuity (VA) was 20/320 OD and 20/20 OS; there was no relative afferent pupillary defect...

BACKGROUND: The American Radium Society (ARS) Central Nervous System (CNS) committee reviewed literature on epidermal growth factor receptor mutated (EGFRm) and ALK-fusion (ALK+) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for the treatment of brain metastases (BrMs) from non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) to generate appropriate use guidelines addressing use of TKIs in conjunction with or in lieu of radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: The panel developed three key questions to guide systematic review: can radiotherapy be deferred in patients receiving EGFR or ALK TKIs at 1) diagnosis or 2) recurrence? Should TKI be administered concurrently with RT (3)? Two literature searches were performed (May 2019 and December 2023)...

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia is associated with poor prognosis in many cancers including glioblastoma (GBM). Glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) often reside in hypoxic regions and serve as reservoirs for disease progression. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in GBM. However, the lncRNAs that modulate GSC adaptations to hypoxia are poorly understood. Identification of these lncRNAs may provide new therapeutic strategies to target GSCs under hypoxia. METHODS: lncRNAs induced by hypoxia in GSCs were identified by RNAseq...

Bioactivity of Nigella sativa seed extract has the potential as a neuro-protector, offering its promising utility in the clinical setting for brain injury management. This study aimed to identify the phytocompounds contained in the extract of N. sativa seeds and further screen their respective neuronal anti-inflammatory activities in silico. The extract of N. sativa seeds was prepared through successive maceration using non-polar to polar solvents (n-hexane and ethanol, respectively). The phytocompounds in the ethanolic extract were initially identified through qualitative analysis and further analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)...

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorder is a chronic mental illness characterized by persistent low mood as its primary clinical symptom. Currently, psychotherapy and drug therapy stand as the primary treatment modalities in clinical practice, offering a certain degree of relief from negative emotions for patients. Nevertheless, sole reliance on drug therapy exhibits a delayed impact on neurotransmitters, and long-term usage often results in adverse side effects such as nausea, drowsiness, and constipation, significantly impeding medication adherence...

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that tumor 3D volume growth rate (3DVGR) classification could help in the assessment of drug activity in patients with meningioma using three main classes and a total of five subclasses: class 1: decrease; 2: stabilization or severe slowdown; 3: progression. The EORTC-BTG-1320 clinical trial was a randomized phase II trial evaluating the efficacy of trabectedin for recurrent WHO 2 or 3 meningioma. Our objective was to evaluate the discriminative value of 3DVGR classification in the EORTC-BTG-1320...

PURPOSE: Several retrospective studies and meta-analyses of Peptide Radionuclide Radiation Therapy in meningiomas suggest six-month progression-free survival improvement for WHO grade 1 and 2 meningiomas. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of such treatment on three-dimensional volume growth rate (3DVGR) in nonanaplastic meningiomas. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective study including eight patients treated with Lutathera®. Millimetric 3D T1-weighted with gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging sequences were requested for volume measurement...

The first hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) emerge in the Aorta-Gonad-Mesonephros (AGM) region of mid-gestation mouse embryo. However, the precise nature of their supportive mesenchymal microenvironment remains largely unexplored. Here, we profiled transcriptomes of laser micro-dissected aortic tissues at three developmental stages and individual AGM cells. Computational analyses allowed identifying several cell subpopulations within the embryonic day 11.5 AGM mesenchyme, with the remarkable presence of a yet unidentified subpopulation characterized by the dual expression of genes implicated in adhesive or neuronal functions...

xCT (Slc7a11), the specific subunit of the cystine/glutamate antiporter, is present in the brain and on immune cells, where it is known to modulate behavior and inflammatory responses. In a variety of cancers -including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)-, xCT is upregulated by tumor cells to support their growth and spread. Therefore, we studied the impact of xCT deletion in pancreatic tumor cells (Panc02) and/or the host (xCT-/- mice) on tumor burden, inflammation, cachexia and mood disturbances. Deletion of xCT in the tumor strongly reduced tumor growth...

PURPOSE: Meningiomas are the most common type of brain tumors and are generally benign, but malignant atypical meningiomas and anaplastic meningiomas frequently recur with poor prognosis. The metabolism of meningiomas is little known, so few effective treatment options other than surgery and radiation are available, and the targets for treatment of recurrence are not well defined. The Aim of this paper is to find the therapeutic target. METHODS: The effects of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signal inhibitor (K02288) and upstream regulator Gremlin2 (GREM2) on meningioma's growth and senescence were examined...

This research assessed the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative life events (NLEs) on forty-eight cytokines/chemokines/growth factors, in 71 FE-MDMD patients and forty heathy controls. ACEs are highly significantly associated with the classical M1 macrophage, T helper (Th)-1, Th-1 polarization, IRS, and neurotoxicity immune profiles, and not with the alternative M2, and Th-2 immune profiles. There are highly significant correlations between ACEs and NLEs and different cytokines/chemokines/growth factors, especially with interleukin (IL)-16, CCL27, stem cell growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor...

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia is a pathological hallmark in most cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM). Hypoxic signaling activation and posttranslational modification (PTM) of oncogenic proteins are well-studied in cancers. Accumulating studies indicate glycolytic enzyme PGK1 plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. METHODS: We first used ChIP assays to uncover the crosstalk between HIF1α and ATF3 and their roles in P4HA1 regulation...

Neuroinflammation is a common feature in various neurological disorders. Understanding neuroinflammation and neuro-immune interactions is of significant importance. However, the intercellular interactions in the inflammatory model are intricate. Microfluidic chips, with their complex micrometer-scale structures and real-time observation capabilities, offer unique advantages in tackling these complexities compared to other techniques. In this study, microfluidic chip technology was used to construct a microarray physical barrier structure with 15 μm spacing, providing well-defined cell growth areas and clearly delineated interaction channels...

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and predictive factors associated with delayed diagnosis in patients with sellar germ cell tumors (GCTs), aiming for early diagnosis. METHODS: A total of 345 patients with sellar GCTs were retrospectively collected. Patients were classified into a delayed diagnosis group (> 6 months from onset to diagnosis) and a non-delayed diagnosis group (≤ 6 months). We compared general characteristics, clinical symptoms, diagnostic methods, treatment strategies, tumor prognosis, and pituitary function between the two groups...

BACKGROUND: The diffuse growth pattern of glioblastoma is one of the main challenges for accurate treatment. Computational tumor growth modeling has emerged as a promising tool to guide personalized therapy. Here, we performed clinical and biological validation of a novel growth model, aiming to close the gap between the experimental state and clinical implementation. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-four patients from The Cancer Genome Archive (TCGA) and 397 patients from the UCSF Glioma Dataset were assessed for significant correlations between clinical data, genetic pathway activation maps (generated with PARADIGM; TCGA only), and infiltration ( D w ) as well as proliferation (ρ) parameters stemming from a Fisher-Kolmogorov growth model...

The nervous and immune systems are the primary sensory interfaces of the body, allowing it to recognize, process, and respond to various stimuli from both the external and internal environment. These systems work in concert through various mechanisms of neuro-immune crosstalk to detect threats, provide defense against pathogens, and maintain or restore homeostasis, but can also contribute to the development of diseases. Among peripheral sensory neurons (PSNs), nociceptive PSNs are of particular interest. They possess a remarkable capability to detect noxious stimuli in the periphery and transmit this information to the brain, resulting in the perception of pain and the activation of adaptive responses...

PURPOSE: The number of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) patients has increased in recent years, as the cancer survival rates increased. An optimal prediction of prognosis is essential for selecting an appropriate treatment. The European Association of Neuro-Oncology-European Society for Medical Oncology (EANO-ESMO) guidelines for LM proposed a classification based on the cerebrospinal fluid cytological findings and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pattern. However, few studies have validated the utility of this classification...