Organization of the 43rd European Congress of Cytology in the SARS–CoV-2 pandemic period: A report

The 43rd European Congress of Cytology in Wrocław, Poland, was held as a hybrid meeting in the Fall of 2021. After nearly 2 years without in-person cytology conferences, the 43rd Congress represents 1 of the first major international scientific meetings to occur during the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 pandemic. Since March 2020, the pandemic situation substantially modified the organization of scientific meetings because of both domestic and international travel restrictions, new health standards, and concern among participants, resulting in new alternative forms of virtual conferencing. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2022;130:000-000. ;     

重组碱性成纤维细胞生长因子通过Notch1信号通路对糖尿病大鼠视网膜神经节细胞的保护作用

目的　探讨重组碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor,rbFGF)通过Notch1信号通路对糖尿病大鼠视网膜神经节细胞(retinal ganglion cell，RGC)的保护作用。方法　雄性SD大鼠40只，随机分成对照组、糖尿病组、rbFGF组、rbFGF+DAPT组(DAPT为Notch1通路的特异性拮抗剂)，每组10只。后三组大鼠采用单次腹腔注射链脲佐菌素(streptozotocin,STZ) 诱导糖尿病模型。模型诱导成功后，rbFGF组给予rbFGF 10 μL(200 U)玻璃体内注射给药，rbFGF+DAPT组在给予rbFGF基础上加用DAPT(10 μmol·L^-1)。注射12周后，HE染色检测RGC密度，免疫组织化学染色检测神经元再生相关蛋白GAP-43、Notch1蛋白表达，Western blot检测GAP-43、Notch1蛋白及凋亡相关蛋白Caspase-3相对表达量。结果　与对照组RGC密度(433.49±6.02)个·mm^-2，GAP-43荧光强度(8.96±0.26)%、Notch1阳性率(45.04±0.46)%及Caspase-3 (27.91±0.63) %蛋白表达相比，糖尿病组RGC密度(328.35±6.43)mm^-2，Notch1荧光强度(31.66±0.40)%蛋白表达明显降低，GAP-43荧光强度(13.66±0.52)%、Caspase-3 (48.91±0.64)%蛋白表达明显增加(均为P<0.05)；而与糖尿病组相比，rbFGF组RGC密度(425.30±7.98)个·mm^-2，Notch1阳性率(41.76±0.62)% 及GAP-43荧光强度(33.05±0.37)%蛋白表达明显增加，Caspase-3 (28.86±0.71)%蛋白表达明显降低(均为P<0.05)；而rbFGF+DAPT组RGC密度(324.91±8.22)个·mm^-2，GAP-43荧光强度(14.27±0.64)%、Notch1阳性率(30.40±0.82)%及Caspase-3 (47.63±0.68)%蛋白表达均无明显变化(均为P>0.05)。结论　rbFGF可上调糖尿病状态下视网膜GAP-43蛋白表达，下调Caspase-3蛋白表达，进而提高RGC的存活，其机制可能与激活Notch1信号通路有关。     

Paraganglioma of the Lumbar Spine: A case report and literature review

IntroductionLumbar paragangliomas are rare, vascular, neuroendocrine tumors. They are notoriously difficult to diagnose radiologically and can prove challenging to manage intraoperatively, if capable of catecholamine secretion.Case reportWe report the case of a 45-year-old man, who presented with a lumbar spinal paraganglioma. The patient described a 2-year history of worsening lower back pain and sciatica. Neurological examination was normal. MRI revealed a lesion at L3, with prominent vessels, compressing the cauda equina. Gross total resection (GTR) of the tumor was performed. The patient recovered well, with relief of pain and no neurological deficit.DiscussionA literature search of lumbar paraganglioma cases, from January 1970 to April 2018 was carried out. Results of this review highlighted the importance of inclusion of paraganglioma as a differential diagnosis in lumbar spinal tumor and also the requirement for preoperative investigations to determine any potential secretory activity.ConclusionsLumbar paraganglioma behavior is most commonly benign and rates of recurrence are low after GTR. However, long-term postoperative follow-up is crucial, due to findings of late metastatic recurrence.     

Oculodentodigital dysplasia

Oculodentodigital dysplasia is a rare, autosomal dominant disorder with high penetrance and variable expressivity, caused by mutations in the connexin 43 or gap junction protein alpha-1 gene. It has been diagnosed in fewer than 300 people worldwide with an incidence of around 1 in 10 million. It affects many parts of the body, particularly eyes (oculo), teeth (dento), and fingers and/or toes (digital). The common clinical features include facial dysmorphism with thin nose, microphthalmia, syndactyly, tooth anomalies such as enamel hypoplasia, anodontia, microdontia, early tooth loss and conductive deafness. Other less common features are abnormalities of the skin and its appendages, such as brittle nails, sparse hair, and neurological abnormalities. To prevent this syndrome from being overlooked, awareness of possible symptoms is necessary. Early recognition can prevent blindness, dental problems and learning disabilities. Described here is the case of a 21-year-old male who presented to the ophthalmology outpatient department with a complaint of bilateral progressive loss of vision since childhood.     

Characterization of Moyamoya and Middle Cerebral Artery Diseases by Carotid Canal Diameter and RNF213 p.R4810K Genotype

ObjectivesIt is sometimes difficult to differentiate middle cerebral artery disease from moyamoya disease because the two can present similarly yet have different treatment strategies. We investigated whether the presence of a narrow carotid canal and the RNF213 mutation can help differentiate between the two phenotypes.Population and MethodsWe analyzed 78 patients with moyamoya disease, 27 patients with middle cerebral artery disease, and 79 controls from 2 facilities. The carotid canal diameter was measured using computed tomography. The p.R4810K mutation was genotyped by TaqMan assay. A receiver operating characteristics analysis was performed to assess the significance of the carotid canal diameter for the accurate diagnosis of moyamoya disease.ResultsThe carotid canal diameter was significantly narrower in patients with moyamoya disease than in controls. The optimal cutoff values were 5.0 mm for adult males and 4.5 mm for adult females and children (sensitivity: 0.82; specificity: 0.92). Among the patients with middle cerebral artery disease, 18.5% and 25.0% of the affected hemispheres had the p.R4810K mutation and narrow canal (i.e., below the cutoff), respectively, whereas only 3.1% of those had both. Contrastingly, 68.8% of the affected hemispheres in patients with moyamoya disease had both these characteristics. Among the patients with moyamoya disease, those with the p.R4810K mutation tended to have narrower carotid canals.ConclusionsAlthough the presence of a narrow carotid canal or the p.R4810K mutation alone could not be used to distinguish those with moyamoya disease from those with middle cerebral artery disease, the combination of these factors could better characterize the two phenotypes.     

Promising therapies for the treatment of frontotemporal dementia clinical phenotypes: from symptomatic to disease-modifying drugs

Introduction: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous clinical entity that includes several disorders characterized by different cellular mechanisms. Distinctive clinical features in FTD include behavioral, affective, and cognitive symptoms. Unfortunately, little progress has been made over the past 20 years in terms of the development of effective disease-modifying drugs with the currently available symptomatic treatments having limited clinical utility.

Areas covered: This article reviews the principal pharmacological intervention studies for FTD. These are predominantly randomized clinical trials and include symptomatic treatments and potential disease-modifying drugs.

Expert opinion: There is insufficient evidence on effective treatments for FTD and studies with better methodological backgrounds are needed. Most studies reporting therapeutic benefits were conducted with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, while anti-dementia drugs have been ineffective in FTD. Since the underlying pathology of FTD mostly consists of abnormal tau protein or TDP-43 aggregates, treatments are being developed to interfere with their aggregation process or with the clearance of these proteins. Furthermore, disease-modifying treatments remain years away as demonstrated by the recent negative Phase III findings of a tau aggregation inhibitor (LMTM) for treating the behavioral variant of FTD. The results from current ongoing Phase I/II trials will hopefully give light to future treatment options.     

糖尿病结肠动力障碍大鼠结肠Cajal间质细胞凋亡和间隙连接蛋白43的表达

目的 探讨糖尿病结肠动力障碍大鼠结肠Cajal间质细胞(ICC)的凋亡及ICC的间隙连接蛋白43(Cx43)表达的变化在结肠动力障碍发生中的意义.方法 雄性Sprague-Dawley(SD)大鼠36只,根据体质量及血糖按随机数字表法分为正常6周组、正常10周组、糖尿病6周组、糖尿病10周组,每组9只.腹腔注射链脲佐菌素建立糖尿病模型,检测体质量、空腹血糖及胃肠推进率;HE染色观察ICC;TUNEL法检测ICC的凋亡指数;免疫组化检测ICC的c-Kit、Cx43蛋白表达.结果 (1)糖尿病组较同时间点正常组体质量下降,空腹血糖升高,胃肠推进率降低,ICC的c-Kit、Cx43蛋白表达降低(F=76.68,1397.24,18.87,137.65,87.73,P均＜0.05).(2)糖尿病10周组较糖尿病6周组空腹血糖升高,胃肠推进率降低,ICC的c-Kit、Cx43蛋白表达降低(F=76.68,1397.24,18.87,137.65,87.73,P均＜0.05).(3)糖尿病组ICC的凋亡指数与同时间点正常组相比,差异无统计学意义;糖尿病10周组与糖尿病6周组ICC的凋亡指数差异也无统计学意义(P均＞0.05).结论 ICC数量减少、Cx43蛋白表达降低可能是糖尿病结肠动力障碍的发生机制之一,且上述改变随病程发展而加重;ICC数量减少可能与ICC凋亡无关.     

Dysfunctional RNA-binding protein biology and neurodegeneration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in female mice

Altered stress granule (SG) and RNA-binding protein (RBP) biology have been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, yet little is known about their role in multiple sclerosis (MS). Pathological features associated with dysfunctional RBPs include RBP mislocalization from its normal nuclear location to the cytoplasm and the formation of chronic SGs. We tested the hypothesis that altered SG and RBP biology might contribute to the neurodegeneration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). C57BL/6 female mice were actively immunized with MOG_35-55 to induce EAE. Spinal cords were examined for mislocalization of the RBPs, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1) and TAR-DNA binding protein-43 (TDP-43), SGs, neurodegeneration (SMI-32), T cells (CD3), and macrophages (CD68). In contrast to naive mice, mice with EAE showed SG formation (p < 0.0001) and mislocalization of hnRNP A1 (p < 0.05) in neurons of the ventral spinal cord gray matter, which correlated with clinical score (R = 0.8104, p = 0.0253). In these same areas, there was a neuronal loss (p < 0.0001) and increased SMI-32 immunoreactivity (both markers of neurodegeneration) and increased staining for CD3⁺ T cells and IFN-gamma. These findings recapitulate the SG and RBP biology and markers of neurodegeneration in MS tissues and suggest that altered SG and RBP biology contribute to the neurodegeneration in EAE, which might also apply to the pathogenesis of MS.