Review
Clinical Neurology
Sheila Alcantara Llaguno, Luis F. Parada
Summary: Recent studies have revealed the complexity of glioma cancer stem cells (CSCs), including developmental origins, plasticity, cellular states, and interactions with the microenvironment. These cells exhibit diverse transcriptional cellular states, susceptible to transitions, playing important roles in treatment resistance and immune evasion.
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Qiyuan Zhuang, Hui Yang, Ying Mao
Summary: Glioma, the most common and lethal primary brain tumor, is highly heterogeneous and its cell state, including glioma stem cells, microglia, neurons, and immune cells, play crucial roles in tumor initiation, progression, and response to therapy.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Quan Cheng, Anliu Tang, Zeyu Wang, Ning Fang, Zhuojing Zhang, Liyang Zhang, Chuntao Li, Yu Zeng
Summary: Caldesmon (CALD1) may play a crucial role in monitoring glioma patient prognosis and angiogenesis, with higher CALD1 expression associated with worse clinical outcomes and potential modulation of tumor angiogenesis. High CALD1 expression was also linked to abnormal microvessels in anaplastic astrocytoma and GBM, making CALD1 a possible key marker for monitoring glioma progress.
Article
Cell Biology
Martina Quartieri, Anggraeini Puspitasari, Tamara Vitacchio, Marco Durante, Walter Tinganelli
Summary: This study investigates the interplay between acute and chronic hypoxia and radiation exposure in selecting and characterizing cells with a Circulating Cancer Stem Cell (CCSC)-like phenotype. The results demonstrate that the combination of radiation and acute hypoxia enhances stemness, while chronic hypoxia imparts a cancer stem-like phenotype in cells.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Aashim Bhatia, Vincent Kyu Lee, Yongxian Qian, Michael J. Paldino, Rafael Ceschin, Jasmine Hect, James M. Mountz, Dandan Sun, Gary Kohanbash, Ian F. Pollack, Regina Jakacki, Fernando Boada, Ashok Panigrahy
Summary: Na-23 MRI can be used to compare sodium concentrations between pediatric gliomas and non-neoplastic brain tissues. Dual echo Na-23 MRI improves tissue conspicuity of bound sodium concentration relative to TSC imaging.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaopeng Guo, Mengqi Chang, Yu Wang, Bing Xing, Wenbin Ma
Summary: B7-H3, a member of the B7 family, has been identified as a novel target for immunotherapy in refractory blood cancers and solid tumors. While research on B7-H3 in brain malignancies is limited, there is growing interest in exploring its therapeutic potential. B7-H3 plays a crucial role in regulating immune cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, contributing to a pro-tumorigenic microenvironment. Blocking B7-H3 is expected to improve anti-tumor immune responses and ameliorate tumor progression.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yunhong Tian, Chunshan Liu, Zhiyong Li, Meiling Ai, Baiyao Wang, Kunpeng Du, Wei Liu, Hongmei Wang, Peng Yu, Chengcong Chen, Jie Lin, Anan Xu, Rong Li, Weijun Zhang, Yawei Yuan
Summary: This study found that radiation can enhance the expression of B7-H4 in exosomes, thereby promoting immunosuppression and tumor growth. This finding links radiation to anti-tumor immune responses and suggests that the combination of radiotherapy and anti-B7-H4 therapy may improve local tumor control. Exosomal B7-H4 may also serve as a potential tumor biomarker.
Article
Immunology
Julia Mamana, Gabrielle M. Humber, Eric R. Espinal, Soojung Seo, Nadine Vollmuth, Jon Sin, Brandon J. Kim
Summary: Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a common human pathogen that can cause fatal aseptic meningo-encephalitis, particularly in young children. The mechanisms by which CVB3 gains access to the brain and the virus-host interactions at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) are poorly understood. This study utilized human induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived brain-like endothelial cells (iBECs) to investigate the effects of CVB3 infection on BBB function and overall survival. The results showed that CVB3 infection of iBECs resulted in high extracellular virus release and disruption of transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) at later infection stages, suggesting potential mechanisms for viral entry and prolonged shedding.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paulina Kozakiewicz, Ludmila Grzybowska-Szatkowska, Marzanna Ciesielka, Paulina Calka, Jacek Osuchowski, Pawel Szmygin, Bozena Jarosz, Marta Ostrowska-Lesko, Jaroslaw Dudka, Angelika Tkaczyk-Wlizlo, Brygida Slaska
Summary: Mitochondria are essential organelles for oxidative phosphorylation. The interest in their role in carcinogenesis arises from the discovery of respiratory deficits in dividing cells, especially those with accelerated proliferation. This study analyzed DNA from tumor and blood samples of 30 patients with glioma grade II, III, and IV. Next-generation sequencing was conducted to investigate the possible association between specific mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in respiratory complex I genes and brain gliomas. In silico assessments were performed to determine the impact and potential harmfulness of missense changes in the encoded protein, as well as their mitochondrial subgroup affiliation. Deleterious changes, such as A3505G, C3992T, A4024G, T4216C, G5046A, G7444A, T11253C, G12406A, and G13604C polymorphisms, were identified, indicating their involvement in carcinogenesis.
Review
Oncology
Xinyue Wang, Jianhao Liang, Haitao Sun
Summary: This article discusses the characteristics of the cellular subpopulation with tumor microtubes (TMs) in brain tumors and their relationship with the resistance and recurrence mechanisms of gliomas. The authors innovatively focus on the similarities between TMs and sprouting axons in morphology, formation, and function, and summarize the recent progress in this field. Additionally, the authors discuss the overlap between cancer stem cells and TM-positive glioma cells, providing clues for understanding resistant glioma cell subpopulations and exploring new therapeutic targets for gliomas.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chia-Lin Chen, Juan Carlos Hernandez, Dinesh Babu Uthaya Kumar, Tatsuya Machida, Stanley M. Tahara, Anthony El-Khoueiry, Meng Li, Vasu Punj, Suresh Kumar Swaminathan, Ameya Kirtane, Yibu Chen, Jayanth Panyam, Keigo Machida
Summary: The improvement of drug selectivity, toxicity, and reduced recurrence of tumors from tumor-initiating stem-like cells is essential for effective cancer therapy. Through high-throughput screens, a combination of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor(s) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been found to effectively inhibit TIC growth. This combined treatment reduces Toll-like receptors (TLR) and stemness genes, leading to loss of self-renewal property of TICs.
Review
Physiology
Keigo Machida
Summary: This article reviews the links between HCV-associated HCC and TICs, discussing how HCV promotes the genesis of TICs and the development of HCC, and how this process can be utilized as a novel therapeutic target for HCC treatment. Additionally, it introduces the ten hall marks of TIC oncogenesis and HCC development as targets for novel therapeutic modalities.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yansui Mai, Jiyan Su, Chuan Yang, Chenglai Xia, Liwu Fu
Summary: Cancer stem-like cells, with their remarkable capabilities, are crucial in tumor progression and metastasis. Targeting CSC biomarkers, stemness-associated pathways, tumor microenvironment, and immunoevasion can improve cancer treatment outcomes.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael Kilian, Theresa Bunse, Wolfgang Wick, Michael Platten, Lukas Bunse
Summary: Malignant glioma remains a devastating disease for which standard treatment is limited to resection and radiochemotherapy. Despite promising results in other tumor types, CAR T cell therapy for glioma has yet to show significant clinical efficacy. The emerging field of transgenic TCR therapy may offer a potent alternative for overcoming antigenic limitations in glioma cell therapy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Claudia Carenza, Sara Franzese, Alessandra Castagna, Sara Terzoli, Matteo Simonelli, Pasquale Persico, Lorenzo Bello, Marco Conti Nibali, Federico Pessina, Paolo Kunderfranco, Clelia Peano, Simone Balin, Joanna Mikulak, Francesca Calcaterra, Raffaella Bonecchi, Benedetta Savino, Massimo Locati, Silvia Della Bella, Domenico Mavilio
Summary: In this study, the authors characterized tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells (TIDCs) in adult patients with newly diagnosed diffuse gliomas, and found different subsets of DCs present in the glioma microenvironment. Functionally impaired DCs were recruited in the glioma microenvironment and were severely affected by corticosteroid administration, which may contribute to the negative prognostic impact of steroids on glioma patient survival.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Rui Ryan Yang, Kay Ka-Wai Li, Anthony P. Y. Liu, Hong Chen, Nellie Yuk-Fei Chung, Aden K. Y. Chan, Fangcheng Li, Danny Tat-Ming Chan, Ying Mao, Zhi-Feng Shi, Ho-Keung Ng
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Cong Wang, Wanbing Sun, Jun Zhang, Jianping Zhang, Qinghua Guo, Xingyu Zhou, Dandan Fan, Haoran Liu, Ming Qi, Xihui Gao, Haiyan Xu, Zhaobing Gao, Mei Tian, Hong Zhang, Jianhong Wang, Zixuan Wei, Nicholas J. Long, Ying Mao, Cong Li
Summary: This study presents an intravenously administered MRI contrast agent that improves lesion visualization in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy, potentially increasing the probability of detecting seizure foci and facilitating the study of brain diseases associated with epilepsy.
NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Rui Ryan Yang, Kay Ka-Wai Li, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Aden Ka-Yin Chan, Wei-Wei Wang, Danny Tat-Ming Chan, Wen-Cai Li, Xian-Zhi Liu, Fang-Cheng Li, Hong Chen, Ho-Keung Ng, Ying Mao, Zhi-Feng Shi
Summary: The diagnostic role of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status in adult lower grade astrocytomas is significant, potentially further stratified by MMR genes. Our study suggests the potential clinical relevance of MMR genes in IDH-mutant lower grade astrocytomas without certain genetic alterations like PDGFRA, CDK4, and CDKN2A.
CLINICAL NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSURGERY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zijing Wang, Zhipeng Yang, Jianjuan Jiang, Zhifeng Shi, Ying Mao, Nan Qin, Tiger H. Tao
Summary: A silk fibroin microneedle (SMN) patch designed for glioblastoma (GBM) can bypass the blood-brain barrier and release multiple drugs directly to the tumor site, providing an effective treatment strategy for brain tumors. The biocompatible and biodegradable patch allows for slow drug release over time and can be triggered remotely for rapid drug delivery. In animal models, the patch resulted in decreased tumor volume and increased survival rate, showing potential for clinical treatment of brain tumors.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Developmental Biology
Lijuan Zhang, Yue Cao, Xin Zhang, Xinyang Gu, Ying Mao, Bo Peng
Summary: Microglia, as important immune cells in the central nervous system, play crucial roles in neurodevelopment, acute injury, and neuropsychiatric disorders. They undergo birth, death, and regeneration during their lifetime. Modulating the development of microglia may provide new therapeutic opportunities for preventing inflammation-related effects and controlling excessive inflammation in brain diseases.
DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ziyi Jin, Qi Yue, Wenjia Duan, An Sui, Botao Zhao, Yinhui Deng, Yuting Zhai, Yuwen Zhang, Tao Sun, Guang-Ping Zhang, Limei Han, Ying Mao, Jinhua Yu, Xiao-Yong Zhang, Cong Li
Summary: This article reports an intelligent surface-enhanced Raman scattering navigation system that can delineate the acidic margins of gliomas without using exogenous probes. The system uses a homemade deep learning model to process Raman spectra and quickly delineate the pH map of the tumor resection bed. Experimental results demonstrate a significant improvement in overall survival rate of animal models after surgery guided by this system.
Review
Neurosciences
Rui-Zhe Zheng, Zeng-Xin Qi, Zhe Wang, Ze-Yu Xu, Xue-Hai Wu, Ying Mao
Summary: Significant progress has been made in identifying and managing disorders of consciousness in patients with acquired brain injury. Advanced technology and tools have improved diagnostic accuracy, but there are still challenges in clinical treatment and a lack of effective management protocols.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Qiyuan Zhuang, Hui Yang, Ying Mao
Summary: Glioma, the most common and lethal primary brain tumor, is highly heterogeneous and its cell state, including glioma stem cells, microglia, neurons, and immune cells, play crucial roles in tumor initiation, progression, and response to therapy.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yifan Yuan, Yang Yu, Yu Guo, Yinghua Chu, Jun Chang, Yicheng Hsu, Patrick Alexander Liebig, Ji Xiong, Wenwen Yu, Danyang Feng, Baofeng Yang, Liang Chen, He Wang, Qi Yue, Ying Mao
Summary: In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of combined CEST and MRS in predicting glioma infiltration was evaluated. The results showed that CEST and MRS were correlated with FET-PET, but the correlation between CEST and MRS was weaker. The combination of CEST/MRS predicted tumor infiltration more accurately than using CEST or MRS alone.
Review
Neurosciences
Lijuan Zhang, Yafei Wang, Taohui Liu, Ying Mao, Bo Peng
Summary: Microglia, as immune cells in the central nervous system, play a crucial role in monitoring the environment and protecting neurons to maintain brain homeostasis. In diseased brains, microglia are important mediators of neuroinflammation and have been extensively studied for their involvement in neurodegeneration. This review summarizes the multifunctional contributions of microglia to homeostasis and their potential as therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on microglial replacement therapy.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Renping Yu, Han Zhang, Xuehai Wu, Xuan Fei, Qing Yang, Zhiwei Ma, Zengxin Qi, Di Zang, Weijun Tang, Ying Mao, Dinggang Shen
Summary: This study aims to predict the outcome of unconscious acquired brain injury patients and differentiate consciousness levels using brain functional imaging and machine learning techniques. The researchers construct functional networks based on resting-state fMRI and use connection strengths as features for outcome prediction and consciousness level differentiation. The study achieves improved classification accuracy for consciousness levels (84.78%) and recovery outcome prediction (89.74%) compared to other methods, and identifies contributive connections across the entire brain. These findings provide potential biomarkers for understanding consciousness and developing diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic guidelines for ABI patients.
IEEE JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fushun Wang, Wei Wang, Simeng Gu, Dan Qi, Nathan A. Smith, Weiguo Peng, Wei Dong, Jiajin Yuan, Binbin Zhao, Ying Mao, Peng Cao, Qing Richard Lu, Lee A. Shapiro, S. Stephen Yi, Erxi Wu, Jason H. Huang
Summary: The researchers discovered two distinct astrocytic Ca2+ signals in the mouse barrel cortex, which play different roles in modulating sensory transmission during sleep and arousal states.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Correction
Neurosciences
Lijuan Zhang, Yafei Wang, Taohui Liu, Ying Mao, Bo Peng
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Andrea Buccellato, Yasir Catal, Patrizia Bisiacchi, Di Zang, Federico Zilio, Zhe Wang, Zengxin Qi, Ruizhe Zheng, Zeyu Xu, Xuehai Wu, Alessandra Del Felice, Ying Mao, Georg Northoff
Summary: In this study, the use of permutation entropy (PE) is proposed to estimate time delays from neural time series, which is a more robust alternative to autocorrelation window (ACW). The validity of this approach is demonstrated on synthetic neural data and hd-EEG human data, suggesting its potential use for characterizing conscious states.
Article
Acoustics
Shaoyuan Yan, Jiajun Shou, Junjin Yu, Jianping Song, Ying Mao, Kailiang Xu
Summary: The study developed an ultrafast ultrasound vector Doppler (ultrafast UVD) method for small vasculature hemodynamic imaging by combining multiangle vector Doppler strategy and ultrafast sequencing. The validity of the technique was demonstrated through experiments on a rotational phantom, rat brain, human brain, and human spinal cord. Compared with the widely accepted accurate flow velocimetry technique ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM), the rat brain experiment showed that the average relative error (ARE) of the velocity magnitude estimated by ultrafast UVD was approximately 16.2%, with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the velocity direction of 26.7°. The results demonstrated that ultrafast UVD is a promising tool for accurate blood flow velocity measurement, especially for organs with vasculature typically exhibiting tendential alignment of vascular trees, such as the brain and spinal cord.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS FERROELECTRICS AND FREQUENCY CONTROL
(2023)