Lei Kuang

Low expression of miR-381 is a favorite prognosis factor and enhances the chemosensitivity of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone malignancy with a poor prognosis for all races and both sexes. In this study, we found that miR-381 is a positive prognosis factor for OS patients that OS patients with a low expression of miR-381 had a longer survival time after surgical intervention, and miR-381 expression promotes MG-63 cell proliferation and cell invasion ability. Our results also showed a strong negative correlation between the expression of miR-381 and LRRC4 (brain relative specific expression gene) in OS tissues. This demonstrated that LRRC4 is a direct target gene of miR-381, and suppressing the expression of miR-381 increases the sensitivity of OS cells to chemotherapeutic drugs through the LRRC4-mediated mTOR pathway. In summary, miR-381 is an important biomarker in directing therapeutic intervention and predicting prognosis in OS patients.

Overexpression of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 in chordoma tissues is associated with chordoma pathogenesis by reducing miR‑125a and miR‑10a expression

Chordoma is a rare, slow-growing primary malignant neoplasm of the axial skeleton, which arises from the remnants of the notochord. Emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRs) are dysregulated in chordoma tissues and crucially involved in chordoma pathogenesis. In the present study, the expression of 11 candidate miRs were analyzed in chordoma tissues and miR-10a and miR-125a were found to be significantly downregulated compared with controls. Notably, the expression of the primary transcripts, pri-miR-125a and pri-miR-10a was unaltered, suggesting that disturbed microRNA expression may be induced by altered pri-miRNA processing. Previous studies have indicated that disturbed adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) expression is able to alter mRNA and miRNA adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) levels associated with cancer pathogenesis. Therefore, the expression of ADAR1 and ADAR2 was analyzed in chordoma tissues. It was found that ADAR1 was significantly overexpressed, which was accompanied by enhanced pre-miR-10a and pri-miR-125a A-to-I editing. These findings suggest that ADAR2 overexpression causes enhanced pre-miR-10a and pri-miR-125a A-to-I editing, which alters mature miR-10a and miR-125a expression and may contribute to chordoma pathogenesis.

Cervical Disk Arthroplasty Versus Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion for the Treatment of 2-Level Cervical Spondylopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Study Design:Systematic review and meta-analysis. Objective:To assess the safety and efficacy of cervical disk arthroplasty (CDA) compared with anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) for the treatment of 2-level cervical spondylopathy. Summary of Background Data:CDA has emerged as a potential alternative to ACDF in patients with cervical disk degeneration. But there are no published systematic reviews and meta-analyses comparing CDA with ACDF for the treatment of 2-level cervical spondylopathy. Methods:The Pubmed, Embase, Web of science, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases were searched comparing CDA to ACDF in patients with 2-level cervical spondylopathy. Outcome measures were neck disability index, visual analog scale (VAS) of arm and neck pain, range of movement (ROM) at C2–C7, functional segment unit ROM, ROM at the operated level, and incidence of radiologic changes at adjacent levels approximately 2 years after surgery, as well as operating time and incidence of surgery-related complications. Mean difference (MD), odds ratios (OR), and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. Results:Six studies involving 646 patients were included. There were no significant differences in neck disability index (MD, −1.53; 95% CI −3.80 to 0.73), VAS neck pain (MD, −0.19; 95% CI −0.71 to 0.33), and VAS arm pain (MD, −0.23; 95% CI −0.61 to 0.16) between 2-level CDA and 2-level ACDF cases. ROM at C2–C7 (MD, 15.82; 95% CI, 10.66–20.99), functional segment unit ROM (MD, 8.58; 95% CI, 7.93–9.23), and ROM at the operated level (MD, 9.54; 95% CI, 7.73–11.35) were greater, but the incidence of radiologic changes at adjacent levels (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13–0.67) were lower, in 2-level CDA cases. In 2-level CDA cases, the operating time was longer (MD, 57.41; 95% CI, 24.67–90.14), but surgery-related complications rates (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.30–0.74) was lower. Conclusions:CDA may be a safe and effective alternative to ACDF for the treatment of 2-level cervical degenerative disease. Level of Evidence:Level II.

Endoscopic transcervical anterior release and posterior fixation in the treatment of irreducible vertical atlantoaxial dislocation

AbstractVertical atlantoaxial dislocation is a type of atlantoaxial instability with upper cervical spinal cord compression. The transoral ondontoid resection with posterior fixation is the gold standard for ventral decompression. Results are satisfying though surgery can be challenging due to its invasiveness. The endoscopic transcervical anterior release could provide sufficient ventral decompression with less collateral damage. In the illustrative case, anatomic reduction was achieved with significant improvement in neurological function and radiographic parameters. Endoscopic transcervical anterior release and posterior fixation appears to be a viable and interesting alternative for the treatment of vertical atlantoaxial dislocation in properly selected individuals, and its implementation could significantly reduce the post-surgical complications.

Vertebral aspergillosis in a patient with autosomal-dominant hyper-IgE syndrome.

ABSTRACT We present a report of an autosomal-dominant hyper-IgE syndrome patient with vertebral aspergillosis. Early diagnosis and antifungal therapy with surgery are crucial for improving the outcome of this aggressive condition.

Imatinib promotes apoptosis of giant cell tumor cells by targeting microRNA-30a-mediated runt‑related transcription factor 2

Giant cell tumor (GCT) is an aggressive type of bone tumor consisting of multinucleated osteoclast-like giant cells. Imatinib is a selective inhibitor for certain type III tyrosine kinase receptor family members with a variety of beneficial effects. The purpose of the present study was to determine the therapeutic potential and underlying mechanism of imatinib against GCT. In the present study, cell viability and apoptosis in GCT were analyzed using the MTT assay, flow cytometry and DAPI staining assay. Caspase-3 and -9 activity in GCT cells were analyzed with colorimetric assay kits. In addition, the expression levels of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RunX2) protein and microRNA-30a (miR-30a) in GCT cells were detected using western blotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results from the present study demonstrated that imatinib treatment inhibited cell viability, increased cell apoptosis, and significantly promoted caspase-3 and -9 activity in GCT. In addition, imatinib treatment decreased the RunX2 protein expression level. Notably, imatinib was demonstrated to increase miR-30a expression. However, upregulation of miR-30a expression reduced the RunX2 protein expression level, and downregulation of miR-30a expression reversed the anticancer effect of imatinib on GCT, increasing the expression level of RunX2 protein in GCT. The results of the present study indicate that imatinib promotes apoptosis of GCT cells by targeting the miR-30a-mediated RunX2 signaling pathway.

Applying the Mini-Open Anterolateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion with Self-Anchored Stand-Alone Polyetheretherketone Cage in Lumbar Revision Surgery

The author retrospectively studied twenty-two patients who underwent revision lumbar surgeries using ALLIF with a self-anchored stand-alone polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage. The operation time, blood loss, and perioperative complications were evaluated. Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores and visual analog scale (VAS) scores of leg and back pain were analyzed preoperatively and at each time point of postoperative follow-up. Radiological evaluation including fusion, disc height, foraminal height, and subsidence was assessed. The results showed that the ALLIF with a self-anchored stand-alone PEEK cage is safe and effective in revision lumbar surgery with minor surgical trauma, low access-related complication rates, and satisfactory clinical and radiological results.

The role of lncRNA XIST/miR-211 axis in modulating the proliferation and apoptosis of osteoarthritis chondrocytes through CXCR4 and MAPK signaling.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in multiple diverse diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). Here, we explored the role of lncRNA XIST in OA and identified the potential molecular mechanisms. The expression of XIST in cartilage samples in patients with OA was significantly upregulated. XIST knockdown remarkably suppressed IL-1β-suppressed OA chondrocyte proliferation while promoted IL-1β-induced cell apoptosis. By employing online tools, miRNAs related to CXCR4, a major contributor to chondrocyte apoptosis, and XIST were selected. miR-211 expression could be significantly inhibited by IL-1β stimulation, and miR-211 negatively regulated XIST expression and CXCR4 protein levels. Through direct binding, XIST served as a ceRNA for miR-211 to counteract miR-211-mediated CXCR4 repression, thereby modulating chondrocyte proliferation and apoptosis through downstream MAPK signaling. In OA tissues, miR-211 expression was significantly downregulated while CXCR4 mRNA expression was upregulated. miR-211 was negatively correlated with XIST and CXCR4, respectively, while XIST and CXCR4 was positively correlated in tissue samples. In conclusion, the study revealed that lncRNA XIST can promote the proliferation of OA chondrocytes and promote apoptosis through the miR-211/CXCR4 axis. Thus, lncRNA XIST might be considered as a potential therapeutic target for OA treatment.