Intraoperative radiotherapy during awake craniotomies: preliminary results of a single-center case series

Awake craniotomies are performed to avoid postoperative neurological deficits when resecting lesions in the eloquent cortex, especially the speech area. Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) has recently focused on optimizing the oncological treatment of primary malignant brain tumors and metastases. Herein, for the first time, we present preliminary results of IORT in the setting of awake craniotomies. From 2021 to 2022, all patients undergoing awake craniotomies for tumor resection combined with IORT were analyzed retrospectively. Demographical and clinical data, operative procedure, and treatment-related complications were evaluated. Five patients were identified (age (mean ± standard deviation (SD): 65 ± 13.5 years (y)). A solid left frontal metastasis was detected in the first patient (female, 49 y). The second patient (male, 72 y) presented with a solid metastasis on the left parietal lobe. The third patient (male, 52 y) was diagnosed with a left temporoparietal metastasis. Patient four (male, 74 y) was diagnosed with a high-grade glioma on the left frontal lobe. A metastasis on the left temporooccipital lobe was detected in the fifth patient (male, 78 y). After awake craniotomy and macroscopic complete tumor resection, intraoperative tumor bed irradiation was carried out with 50 kV x-rays and a total of 20 Gy for 16.7 ± 2.5 min. During a mean follow-up of 6.3 ± 2.6 months, none of the patients developed any surgery- or IORT-related complications or disabling permanent neurological deficits. Intraoperative radiotherapy in combination with awake craniotomy seems to be feasible and safe

Dysregulation of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor by Presenilin/ Gamma-Secretase Loss-of-Function Mutations

Presenilin (PSEN) 1 and 2 are the catalytic components of the Gamma-secretase complex, which cleaves a variety of proteins, including the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Proteolysis of APP leads to the formation of the APP intracellular domain (AICD) and amyloid Beta that is crucially involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Prolyl-4-hydroxylase-domain (PHD) proteins regulate the hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs), the master regulators of the hypoxic response.Wepreviously identified the FK506 binding protein 38 (FKBP38)as a negative regulator of PHD2. Genetic ablation of PSEN1/2 has been shown to increase FKBP38 protein levels. Therefore, we investigated the role of PSEN1/2 in the oxygen sensing pathway using a variety of genetically modified cell and mouse lines. Increased FKBP38 protein levels and decreased PHD2 protein levels were found in PSEN1/2-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts and in the cortex of forebrain-specific PSEN1/2 conditional double knock-out mice. Hypoxic HIF-1alpha protein accumulation and transcriptional activity were decreased, despite reduced PHD2 protein levels. Proteolytic gamma-secretase function ofPSEN1/2wasneeded for proper HIF activation. Intriguingly, PSEN1/2 mutations identified in Alzheimer patients differentially affected the hypoxicresponse, involving the generation of AICD. Together,our results suggest a direct role for PSEN in the regulation of the oxygen sensing pathway via the APP/AICD cleavage cascade

Delta1 Expression, Cell Cycle Exit, and Commitment to a Specific Secretory Fate Coincide within a Few Hours in the Mouse Intestinal Stem Cell System

The stem cells of the small intestine are multipotent: they give rise, via transit-amplifying cell divisions, to large numbers of columnar absorptive cells mixed with much smaller numbers of three different classes of secretory cells - mucus-secreting goblet cells, hormone-secreting enteroendocrine cells, and bactericide-secreting Paneth cells. Notch signaling is known to control commitment to a secretory fate, but why are the secretory cells such a small fraction of the population, and how does the diversity of secretory cell types arise? Using the mouse as our model organism, we find that secretory cells, and only secretory cells, pass through a phase of strong expression of the Notch ligand Delta1 (Dll1). Onset of this Dll1 expression coincides with a block to further cell division and is followed in much less than a cell cycle time by expression of Neurog3 – a marker of enteroendocrine fate – or Gfi1 – a marker of goblet or Paneth cell fate. By conditional knock-out of Dll1, we confirm that Delta-Notch signaling controls secretory commitment through lateral inhibition. We infer that cells stop dividing as they become committed to a secretory fate, while their neighbors continue dividing, explaining the final excess of absorptive over secretory cells. Our data rule out schemes in which cells first become committed to be secretory, and then diversify through subsequent cell divisions. A simple mathematical model shows how, instead, Notch signaling may simultaneously govern the commitment to be secretory and the choice between alternative modes of secretory differentiation

Do genetic factors protect for early onset lung cancer? A case control study before the age of 50 years

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early onset lung cancer shows some familial aggregation, pointing to a genetic predisposition. This study was set up to investigate the role of candidate genes in the susceptibility to lung cancer patients younger than 51 years at diagnosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>246 patients with a primary, histologically or cytologically confirmed neoplasm, recruited from 2000 to 2003 in major lung clinics across Germany, were matched to 223 unrelated healthy controls. 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms of genes with reported associations to lung cancer have been genotyped.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genetic associations or gene-smoking interactions was found for <it>GPX1(Pro200Leu) </it>and <it>EPHX1(His113Tyr)</it>. Carriers of the Leu-allele of <it>GPX1(Pro200Leu) </it>showed a significant risk reduction of OR = 0.6 (95% CI: 0.4–0.8, p = 0.002) in general and of OR = 0.3 (95% CI:0.1–0.8, p = 0.012) within heavy smokers. We could also find a risk decreasing genetic effect for His-carriers of <it>EPHX1(His113Tyr) </it>for moderate smokers (OR = 0.2, 95% CI:0.1–0.7, p = 0.012). Considered both variants together, a monotone decrease of the OR was found for smokers (OR of 0.20; 95% CI: 0.07–0.60) for each protective allele.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Smoking is the most important risk factor for young lung cancer patients. However, this study provides some support for the T-Allel of <it>GPX1(Pro200Leu) </it>and the C-Allele of <it>EPHX1(His113Tyr) </it>to play a protective role in early onset lung cancer susceptibility.</p

DNA ligases I and III support nucleotide excision repair in DT40 cells with similar efficiency.

In eukaryotic cells helix-distorting DNA lesions like cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and 6-4 pyrimidine-pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4 PPs) are efficiently removed by nucleotide excision repair (NER). NER is a multistep process where in the end, subsequent to replication over the gap, the remaining nick is sealed by a DNA ligase. Lig1 has been implicated as the major DNA ligase in NER. Recently, Lig3 has been implicated as a component of a NER subpathway that operates in dividing cells, but which becomes particularly important in non-dividing cells. Here, we use DT40 cells and powerful gene targeting approaches for generating DNA ligase mutants to examine the involvement and contribution of Lig1 and Lig3 in NER using cell survival measured by colony formation, and repair kinetics of CPD by immunofluorescence microscopy and immuno-slot-blotting. Our results demonstrate an impressive and previously undocumented potential of Lig3 to substitute for Lig1 in removing helix-distorting DNA lesions by NER in proliferating cells. We show for the first time in a clean genetic background a functional redundancy in NER between Lig1 and Lig3, which appears to be cell cycle independent and which is likely to contribute to the stability of vertebrate genomes

Sox2 functionally interacts with βAPP, the βAPP intracellular domain and ADAM10 at a transcriptional level in human cells

Sox2 (SRY (Sex-determining region Y)-related high mobility group (HMG) box 2) is a transcription factor that serves key roles in controlling the balance between stem cells maintenance and commitment to differentiated lineages throughout the lifetime. Importantly, Sox2 deficiency results in early embryonic lethality whereas the down-regulation of Sox2 expression triggers neurodegeneration in the adult mouse brain. Moreover, Sox2 is decreased in the brain of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and co localizes with the β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) in stem cells. Here we report the existence of functional interactions between Sox2 and βAPP, the βAPP intracellular domain AICD50 and the α-secretase ADAM10 in human cells. We first show, as observed in embryonic stem cells, that βAPP overexpression in HEK293 cells results in an increase of Sox2 immunoreactivity and we further establish the transcriptional nature of this pathway. Moreover, overexpression of the pro-apoptotic C-terminal βAPP-derived AICD50 metabolite leads to the down-regulation of Sox2 transcription whereas the pharmacological inhibition of endogenous AICD production increases Sox2 expression in both HEK293 and SH-SY5Y cell lines. In addition, we demonstrate that Sox2 is a potent activator of the non amyloidogenic processing of βAPP as shown by the Sox2-dependent augmentation of ADAM10 catalytic activity, immunoreactivity, promoter transactivation and mRNA levels with no modification of the activity and the expression of the β-secretase BACE1. Finally, the fact that γ-secretase inhibition induces an increase of ADAM10 protein levels in SH-SY5Y cells further supports the occurrence of functional AICD/Sox2/ADAM10 interactions. Altogether, our study identifies and characterizes new functional cross-talks between Sox2 and proteins involved in AD, thereby adding support to the view that Sox2 likely behaves as a protective factor during the development of this neurodegenerative disease

Ergotechnical prerequisites for occupational disease no. 2103

Translated from German (Arbeitsmed. Sozialmed. Umweltmed. 1998 33, 11 )SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:9022.381(HSE-Trans--16051)T / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo