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• A total 2,765 patients were enrolled in the seropositive RA group. The control group consisted of 13,825 subjects. • 39 patients (1.41%) in the seropositive RA group and 111 (0.80%) in the control group experienced AMI (P = 0.003). • The adjusted hazard ratio of AMI in the seropositive RA group was 4.212 (95% CI: 2.86–6.19). • In male and female and non-diabetes and non-hypertension and hypertension and dyslipidemia and non-dyslipidemia subgroups, AMI incidence rates were significantly higher in seropositive RA. • This nationwide longitudinal study suggests an increased risk of AMI in seropositive RA. The aim of this nationwide age- and sex matched longitudinal follow up study is to determine the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) associated with the seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population in Korea. Patient data were collected from the National Health Insurance Service Health Screening cohort. RA was identified using the International Classification of Diseases code M05 (seropositive RA), with a prescription of any disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). A total of 2,765 patients were enrolled in the seropositive RA group from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2015 from the NHIS. The control group consisted of 13,825 subjects. The 12-years AMI incidence rate for each group was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. A Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis was used to estimate the hazard ratio of AMI. During the follow-up period, 39 patients (1.41%) in the seropositive RA group and 111 (0.80%) in the control group experienced AMI (P = 0.003). The hazard ratio of AMI in the seropositive RA group was 3.879 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.64–5.68) after adjusting for age and sex. The adjusted hazard ratio of AMI in the seropositive RA group was 4.212 (95% CI: 2.86–6.19) after adjusting for demographics and comorbid medical disorders. According to subgroup analysis, in male and female and the non-diabetes and non-hypertension and hypertension and dyslipidemia and non-dyslipidemia subgroups, AMI incidence rates were significantly higher in the seropositive RA group than in the control group. Our nationwide longitudinal study suggests an increased risk of AMI in seropositive RA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Increased permeability of the brain–blood barrier (BBB) in the piriform cortex (PC) has been reported in various animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy. Since BBB disruption induced by epileptogenic insult has not fully clarified, we attempted to determine whether changes in BBB-related molecules are associated with vasogenic edema in the PC. One day after status epilepticus (SE), PC neurons and astrocytes showed a pyknotic nucleus and shrunken cytoplasm accompanied by vasogenic edema. At this time point, SMI-71 (an endothelial barrier antigen) immunoreactivity had decreased in the PC. Prior to vasogenic edema formation (12h after SE), dystrophin immunoreactivity disappeared within astrocytes, while the change in glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity was negligible. However, glucose transporter-1 (an endothelial cell marker) had increased at 12h after SE. These findings indicate that dysfunction of dystrophin induced by SE may result in endothelial and astroglial damage with BBB breakdown and increase vascular permeability, leading to vasogenic edema that is involved in pathogenesis of epileptogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Parturition increases the risk of strokes of various types, including postpartum cerebral angiopathy (PCA), which is characterized by reversible multifocal vasoconstriction of the cerebral arteries. We describe an unusual presentation of PCA associated with postpartum non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A 31-year-old multiparous woman complained of sudden headache 3hours after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. She had no history of pregnancy-induced hypertension. SAH was found over the bilateral frontoparietal convexities with multifocal vasculopathy. Her symptoms resolved completely within 1week. The findings of a follow-up neurological examination, cerebral angiography, and brain MRI were normal after 2months. PCA syndrome may be associated with postpartum non-aneurysmal SAH. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • The synthesized aligned poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanofibrous mat containing gold nanoparticles provides hydrophilic characteristics. • The nanofibrous mat conjugated with gold nanoparticles decreased the inflammatory responses. • The planted nanofibrous mat noticeably increased the cell survival and neuronal differentiation of transplanted neural stem cells. Transplanted cells rarely survive because of the inflammatory cytokines after spinal cord injury. To increase the survival, we synthesized a hydrophilic and aligned nanofibrous mat. We electrospun thiolate (SH)/aligned (A) poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanofibrous mats. The PLGA-SH (A) nanofibrous mats were conjugated with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) to increase the hydrophilicity. The contact angle is decreased from 105.3° ± 5.2 (for randomly directional PLGA mats) to 28.1° ± 2.8 (for PLGA-GNP (A) mats). Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing neural progenitor cells (NPCs) were dissociated from the embryonic spinal cords of Fisher 344 rats. We embedded the embryonic spinal-cord-derived NPCs in glycol chitosan (gC)-oxidized hyaluronate (oHA) hydrogels (=NPC graft). The NPC graft was transplanted into spinal-cord-injured Sprague-Dawley rats. Afterwards, the aligned PLGA-GNP nanofibrous mat was positioned onto the NPC-grafted region (=Injury + NPC graft + PLGA-GNP (A) nanofibrous mat (INP) group). We also added Injury (=I) and Injury + NPC graft (=IN) groups as control groups. The survival outcomes of transplanted NPCs were noticeably increased in the INP group compared to those in the IN group. We suggest a separate implanting therapy of NPCs and a hydrophilic PLGA-GNP (A) nanofibrous mat for spinal cord injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Astrocytic tumor is one of the most common primary tumors of the adult brain. Although there are several biochemical markers for the categorization of astrocytic tumor, few markers are used for histopathological diagnosis. Therefore, we evaluated glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-δ, a product of alternative splicing variants of GFAP-α, as a diagnostic marker. GFAP-δ immunoreactive (GFAP-δ+) astrocyte was rarely detected in tissue samples from autopsy controls. In tissue samples from patients with low-grade astrocytic tumor (grades I and II), GFAP-δ+ cells appeared stellate, polygonal or round shape. In tissue samples from patients with high-grade astrocytic tumor (grades III and IV), GFAP-δ+ cells showed round or spindle shape. GFAP-δ immunoreactivities in grades III and IV astrocytic tumor cells were increased by 1.4- and 1.7-fold in comparison to grade I astrocytic tumor cells. GFAP-δ immunoreactivity was also observed in cell bodies along the margins of astrocytic tumor showing normal histological findings, even though astroglia had normal morphology (showing strong GFAP and glutamine synthase immunoreactivities and a stellate shape with well-developed processes). Furthermore, the malignancy of astrocytic tumor was directly correlated with the degree of GFAP-δ immunoreactivity. These findings suggest that GFAP-δ may be a useful diagnostic marker for the evaluation of functional cataplasia or proliferation of astrocytic tumor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Recently, calcium phosphate (CaP) cement, instead of polymethylmethacrylate, has been injected into the compressed vertebral body. Calcium phosphate may have the potential for ectopic or heterotopic ossification and, thus, injected CaP cement can induce unwanted heterotopic ossifications in the human body. Case Description: The authors describe 2 cases of heterotopic ossifications after vertebroplasty using CaP in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. We performed percutaneous vertebroplasty using CaP cement in a 69-year-old woman with L2 compression fracture and an 80-year-old man with L1 compression fracture. Follow-up radiologic studies for both cases showed that heterotopic ossifications had developed around the CaP-augmented vertebral bodies and that the cemented vertebral bodies had recollapsed. Also, subsequent vertebral compression fractures had occurred. Conclusions: We suggest that heterotopic ossification may be complications of vertebroplasty with CaP. Therefore, we strongly recommended that the patients who undergo a vertebroplasty with CaP need strict observation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]