A Madras Motor Neuron Disease Patient With Cerebellar Atrophy: A New Clinical Feature

A 34-year-old Chinese Han female complaining of general muscle weakness and wasting for 9 years. She was admitted for aggravation of her symptoms caused by respiratory distress. She also suffered from bulbar palsy. She had no hearing loss, visual problems, or cerebellar signs. Her parents had a consanguineous marriage, though there was no family history of these symptoms. Pure tone audiometric findings demonstrated no definite abnormality. Electromyography demonstrated neurogenic damage. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed cerebellar atrophy, dominantly in anterior lobe. Gene sequencing of whole gene exomes was negative. She was finally diagnosed with Madras motor neuron disease (MMND), a rare subtype of motor neuron disease. No definite therapy was available for MMND, and she died of respiratory tract infection 1 year later. Previous studies have shown that cerebellar signs are positive in 17.2% patients of MMND, but no case with cerebellar atrophy has been reported before. Thus, here we describe cerebellar atrophy as a new clinical feature of MMND

Development of a Non‐Coding‐RNA‐based EMT/CSC Inhibitory Nanomedicine for In Vivo Treatment and Monitoring of HCC

Abstract The objective of this study is to improve the overall prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); therefore, new therapeutic methods that can be used in vivo are urgently needed. In this study, the relationship between the quantities of microRNA (miR)‐125b‐5p in clinical specimens and clinicopathological parameters is analyzed. A folate‐conjugated nanocarrier is used to transfect miR‐125b‐5p in vivo and to observe the therapeutic effect on HCC. The inhibitory effect and mechanism of miR‐125b‐5p on hepatoma cells are also studied. Data from clinical specimens and in vitro experiments confirm that the miR‐125b‐5p quantity is negatively correlated with progression, and the target protein that regulates the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)/cancer stem cells (CSC) potential in HCC is STAT3. The miR‐125b‐5p/STAT3 axis inhibits the invasion, migration, and growth of HCC via inactivation of the wnt/β‐Catenin pathway. miR‐125b‐5p‐loaded nanomedicine effectively inhibits the EMT/CSC potential of hepatoma cells in vivo together with their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visualization characteristics. An HCC‐therapeutic and MRI‐visible nanomedicine platform that achieves noninvasive treatment effect monitoring and timely individualized treatment course adjustment is developed

Maritime Security on the Asia-Pacific: A Navigational Map for the New U.S. Administration

Created as part of the 2017 Jackson School for International Studies SIS 495: Task Force.Maritime security in the Asia-Pacific entails “traditional” security concerns such as naval power, and “non-traditional” security issues such as piracy, climate change and fisheries depletion. This task force evaluates policy options for a comprehensive maritime strategy for U.S. leadership