The genetic and epigenetic basis of ependymoma

Introduction  

Although ependymoma is the third most common pediatric brain tumor, we know little about the genetic/epigenetic basis of its initiation, maintenance, or progression. This is due in part to the heterogeneity of the disease, as well as the small sample size of the cohorts analyzed in most studies.     

Dose Escalated External Beam Radiotherapy versus Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy and Conventional Dose External Beam Radiotherapy for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer: Do we Need Both?

Strahlentherapie und Onkologie - Several randomized trials have demonstrated that men with localized prostate cancer benefit from the use of short-term neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy...     

偏头痛大鼠脑内5-羟色胺1F和诱导型一氧化氮合酶基因的表达变化及针刺的干预效应

目的:前期实验已证实针刺治疗偏头痛疗效优越。观察针刺对偏头痛大鼠脑内5-羟色胺1F和诱导型一氧化氮合酶mRNA表达的调控作用。方法:实验于2005-11/2006-05在中南大学湘雅医院中西医结合研究所实验室完成。①选用SD大鼠40只,按随机数字表法分为4组(n=10),除正常对照组外,其余3组均复制大鼠偏头痛模型。模型对照组只造模,不作其他处理;针刺治疗组造模后进行针刺;针刺预防组针刺后造模电刺激20min。针刺方法:针刺大鼠双侧太冲、阳陵泉穴20min。采用疏密波,电流强度0.3～0.6mA,留针20min,1次/d,共5次。②实验完毕后取脑干及三叉神经节匀浆,采用反转录-聚合酶链反应法测定5-羟色胺1F和诱导型一氧化氮合酶mRNA表达。结果:进入结果分析正常对照组10只,模型对照组、针刺治疗组、针刺预防组各9只,共脱失3只。①与正常对照组比较,模型对照组大鼠诱导型一氧化氮合酶mRNA表达显著增强(P<0.01),5-羟色胺1FmRNA表达显著减弱(P<0.01)。②与模型对照组比较,针刺预防组和针刺治疗组诱导型一氧化氮合酶mRNA表达明显减弱(P<0.01),5-羟色胺1FmRNA表达显著增强(P<0.01)。结论:针刺调控5-羟色胺1F和诱导型一氧化氮合酶mRNA的表达可能是针刺防治偏头痛的分子机制。     

Assessment of functional ability in Alzheimer disease: a review and a preliminary report on the Cleveland Scale for Activities of Daily Living.

Assessment of activities of daily living (ADL) in Alzheimer disease (AD) is critical in establishing the diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, evaluating the efficacy of treatment interventions, and determining the need for health and social services. The proper method to measure ADL depends on the purposes to which the scale is to be put. Existing ADL scales differ as to the type of behaviors assessed, the nature of the observations made, and the manner in which the observations are quantified. These scales were not specifically designed to evaluate changes in the nature and extent of the broad spectrum of functional difficulties seen in individuals with AD. We describe the Cleveland Scale for Activities of Daily Living (CSADL), an informant-based instrument designed to expand upon the capacity of existing physical and instrumental ADL scales by assessing both premorbid and current component acts (e.g., initiation versus implementation) of daily living functions.     

Improved intracranial lesion characterization by tissue segmentation based on a 3D feature map

Our aim was to develop an accurate multispectral tissue segmentation method based on 3D feature maps. We utilized proton density (PD), T₂-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE), and T₁-weighted spin-echo images as inputs for segmentation. Phantom constructs, cadaver brains, an animal brain tumor model and both normal human brains and those from patients with either multiple sclerosis (MS) or primary brain tumors were analyzed with this technique. Initially, misregistration, RF inhomogeneity and image noise problems were addressed. Next, a qualified observer identified samples representing the tissues of interest. Finally, k-nearest neighbor algorithm (k-NN) was utilized to create a stack of color-coded segmented images. The inclusion of T₁ based images, as a third input, produced significant improvement in the delineation of tissues. In MS, our 3D technique was found to be far superior to that based on any combination of 2D feature maps (P < 0.001). We identified at least two distinctly different classes of lesions within the same MS plaque, representing different stages of the disease process. Further, we obtained the regional distribution of MS lesion burden and followed its changes over time. Neuropsychological aberrations were the clinical counterpart of the structural changes detected in segmentation. We could also delineate the margins of benign brain tumors. In malignant tumors, up to four abnormal tissues were identified: 1) a solid tumor core, 2) a cystic component, 3) edema in the white matter, and 4) areas of necrosis and hemorrhage. Subsequent neurosurgical exploration confirmed the distribution of tissues as predicted by this analysis.