Os odontoideum associated with a retro-odontoid cyst treated with posterior C1–C3 fixation: A case report and literature review

BackgroundOs odontoideum is a rare abnormality of the upper cervical spine, and os odontoideum associated with a retro-odontoid cyst has been described as a marker of local instability.Case descriptionThis paper reports a case of a 52-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with os odontoideum associated with a retro-odontoid cyst. The patient underwent posterior C1–C3 fixation without surgical removal of the cyst. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) two days later revealed that the retro-odontoid cyst was still present and that there were no significant changes to it when compared with the preoperative MRI.ConclusionRetro-odontoid cysts associated with unstable os odontoideum can lead to symptomatic spinal cord compression. Posterior C1–C3 fixation can restore atlantoaxial stability by allowing the gradual resorption of the cyst and ensuring spinal cord decompression. Fixation can also avoid the surgical risk associated with a high-riding vertebral artery

Polar NURBS surface with curvature continuity

International audiencePolar NURBS surface is a kind of periodic NURBS surface, one boundary of which shrinks to a degenerate polarpoint. The specific topology of its control-point mesh offers the ability to represent a cap-like surface, which iscommon in geometric modeling. However, there is a critical and challenging problem that hinders its application:curvature continuity at the extraordinary singular pole. We first propose a sufficient and necessary condition ofcurvature continuity at the pole. Then, we present constructive methods for the two key problems respectively:how to construct a polar NURBS surface with curvature continuity and how to reform an ordinary polar NURBSsurface to curvature continuous. The algorithms only depend on the symbolic representation and operations ofNURBS, and they introduce no restrictions on the degree or the knot vectors. Examples and comparisons demonstratethe applications of the curvature-continuous polar NURBS surface in hole-filling and free-shape modeling

Autophagy is involved in oligodendroglial precursor-mediated clearance of amyloid peptide

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of β-amyloid peptides is an important hallmark of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Tremendous efforts have been directed to elucidate the mechanisms of β-amyloid peptides degradation and develop strategies to remove β-amyloid accumulation. In this study, we demonstrated that a subpopulation of oligodendroglial precursor cells, also called NG2 cells, were a new cell type that can clear β-amyloid peptides in the AD transgene mice and in NG2 cell line. RESULTS: NG2 cells were recruited and clustered around the amyloid plaque in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, which is Alzheimer\u27s disease mouse model. In vitro, NG2 cell line and primary NG2 cells engulfed β-amyloid peptides through the mechanisms of endocytosis in a time dependent manner. Endocytosis is divided into pinocytosis and phagocytosis. Aβ(42) internalization by NG2 cells was mediated by actin-dependent macropinocytosis. The presence of β-amyloid peptides stimulated the autophagic pathway in NG2 cells. Once inside the cells, the β-amyloid peptides in NG2 cells were transported to lysosomes and degraded by autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that NG2 cells are a new cell type that can clear β-amyloid peptides through endocytosis and autophagy

STUDY ON THE INHIBITORY EFFECT OF TOTAL ALKALIODS OF SOPHORA ALOPECUROIDES ON OSTEOSARCOMA CELL GROWTH

Background: Ku Dou Zi is the dried whole plant, roots and seeds of Sophora alopecuroides L. in the genus Sophora of family Leguminosae. The entire plant is bitter in taste, cold in nature, and has the heat clearing, detoxifying, pathogenic wind dispelling dampness, analgesic, and insecticidal effects. Modern pharmacological studies have proved that TASA has pharmacological activities of anti-cancer. The objective of this paper was to investigate the inhibitory effect of total alkaloids of Sophora alopecuroides (TASA), on osteosarcoma cell growth and its mechanism. Materials and Methods: MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to study the inhibitory effect of TASA on human osteosarcoma cell line OS732. Results: The results showed that the inhibition rates of different concentrations of TASA (1.5, 3, and 4.5g/kg), against human osteosarcoma cell line OS732, were: 18.4%, 27.4% and 52.8%, respectively. Conclusion: TASA has an inhibitory effect on osteosarcoma cell growth

Identification of four novel small non-coding RNAs from Xanthomonas campestris pathovar campestris

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In bacteria, small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) have been recognized as important regulators of various cellular processes. Approximately 200 bacterial sRNAs in total have been reported. However, very few sRNAs have been identified from phytopathogenic bacteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>Xanthomons campestris </it>pathovar <it>campestris </it>(<it>Xcc</it>) is the causal agent of black rot disease of cruciferous crops. In this study, a cDNA library was constructed from the low-molecular weight RNA isolated from the <it>Xcc </it>strain 8004 grown to exponential phase in the minimal medium XVM2. Seven sRNA candidates were obtained by sequencing screen of 2,500 clones from the library and four of them were confirmed to be sRNAs by Northern hybridization, which were named sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>1, sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>2, sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>3, and sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>4. The transcription start and stop sites of these sRNAs were further determined. BLAST analysis revealed that the four sRNAs are novel. Bioinformatics prediction showed that a large number of genes with various known or unknown functions in <it>Xcc </it>8004 are potential targets of sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>1, sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>3 and sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>4. In contrast, only a few genes were predicted to be potential targets of sRNA-<it>Xcc</it>2.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have identified four novel sRNAs from <it>Xcc </it>by a large-scale screen. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that they may perform various functions. This work provides the first step toward understanding the role of sRNAs in the molecular mechanisms of <it>Xanthomonas campestris </it>pathogenesis.</p

Developments of a 2D Position Sensitive Neutron Detector

Chinese Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), one project of the 12th five-year-plan scheme of China, is under construction in Guangdong province. Three neutron spectrometers will be installed at the first phase of the project, where two-dimensional position sensitive thermal neutron detectors are required. Before the construction of the neutron detector, a prototype of two-dimensional 200 mmx200 mm Multi-wire Proportional Chamber (MWPC) with the flowing gas of Ar/CO2 (90/10) has been constructed and tested with the 55Fe X-Ray using part of the electronics in 2009, which showed a good performance. Following the test in 2009, the neutron detector has been constructed with the complete electronics and filled with the 6atm.3He + 2.5atm.C3H8 gas mixture in 2010. The neutron detector has been primarily tested with an Am/Be source. In this paper, some new developments of the neutron detector including the design of the high pressure chamber, the optimization of the gas purifying system and the gas filling process will be reported. The results and discussion are also presented in this paper.Comment: 5 page

BAG5 Interacts with DJ-1 and Inhibits the Neuroprotective Effects of DJ-1 to Combat Mitochondrial Oxidative Damage

Loss-of-function mutations in gene encoding DJ-1 contribute to the pathogenesis of autosomal recessive early-onset familial forms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). DJ-1 is a multifunctional protein and plays a protective role against oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial damage and cell death, but the exact mechanism underlying this is not yet clearly understood. Here, using coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunofluorescence methods, we prove that Bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (BAG5), a BAG family member, interacts with DJ-1 in mammalian cells. Moreover, we show that BAG5 could decrease stability of DJ-1 and weaken its role in mitochondrial protection probably by influencing dimerization in stress condition. Our study reveals the relationship of BAG5 and DJ-1 suggesting a potential role for BAG5 in the pathogenesis of PD through its functional interactions with DJ-1