Osteosarcoma, a common malignancy primarily affecting children, generally has a poor prognosis. Novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic markers are required to ameliorate the negative outcomes of this disease. We investigated two potential markers, WNT-5a and ROR2, which are hypothesized to dysregulate WNT signaling pathways to promote tumorigenesis in other types of cancer. We investigated WNT-5a and ROR2 expression using immunohistochemistry in 42 osteosarcoma and 12 osteochondroma specimens, and compared the expression of these proteins with one another as well as with clinicopathological parameters. WNT-5a was detected in 34/42 (81.0%) cases and ROR2 was detected in 31/42 (73.8%) cases, significantly higher than in osteochondroma (16.7 and 25.0%, respectively; both P<0.05). Expression of these proteins was positively correlated (r=0.552, P<0.05). Furthermore, expression of WNT-5a and ROR2 was both correlated with Enneking surgical stage and tumor metastasis (P<0.05), but not with patient gender, age or pathological type. Thus, WNT-5a and ROR2 were more highly expressed in more severe disease states, and therefore may play a coordinated role in the occurrence and progression of osteosarcoma.

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The aim of the study was to explore the effect of PSD-93 deficiency on the expression of early inflammatory cytokines induced by cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Ten-to twelve-week-old male PSD-93 knockout (PSD-93 KO) mice (C57BL/6 genetic background) and wild-type (WT) littermates were randomly divided into sham and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) group. The focal cerebral I/R model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) suture method. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-10, Cox-2, iNOS, and TNFa4h following reperfusion. Infarct volume at different time points after I/R was analyzed using 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium staining, and neurological damage score (neurological severity scores, NSS) was used to evaluate the effect of PSD-93 gene knockout on the MCAO-induced neurological injury. In WT mice, early I/R injury led to the increase in the mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, Cox-2, iNOS, and TNF-a that coincided with the decrease in the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, as compared to the sham group (P \ 0.05). This effect was markedly attenuated by depleting PSD-93 levels by gene knockout. As compared to sham group, in PSD-93 KO mice I/R4h led to downregulation of Cox-2 and iNOS expression, and increase in the mRNA levels of IL-10 (P \ 0.05). In addition, following MCAO, PSD-93 KO mice exhibited improved NSS and reduced infarct volumes, as compared with WT animals. PSD-93 knockout may play a neuroprotective role by mediating the early release of inflammatory cytokines induced by cerebral ischemia.

Background and Purpose: Whether imaging parameters would independently predict stroke recurrence in low-risk minor ischemic stroke (MIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) according to traditional score system (such as ABCD 2 score, which was termed on the basis of the initials of the five factors: age, blood pressure, clinical features, duration, diabetes) remains unclear. We sought to evaluate the association between imaging parameters and 1-year stroke recurrence in patients with TIA or MIS in different risk stratum stratified by ABCD 2 score. Methods: We included patients with TIA and MIS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤3) with complete baseline vessel and brain imaging data from the Third China National Stroke Registry III. Patients were categorized into different risk groups based on ABCD 2 score (low risk, 0–3; moderate risk, 4–5; and high risk, 6–7). The primary outcome was stroke recurrence within 1 year. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to assess whether imaging parameters (large artery stenosis, infarction number) were independently associated with stroke recurrence. Results: Of the 7140 patients included, 584 patients experienced stroke recurrence within 1 year. According to the ABCD 2 score, large artery stenosis was associated with higher stroke recurrence in both low-risk (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.746 [95% CI, 1.200–2.540]) and moderate-risk group (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.326 [95% CI, 1.042–1.687]) but not in the high-risk group ( P >0.05). Patients with multiple acute infarctions or single acute infarction had a higher risk of recurrent stroke than those with no infarction in both low- and moderate-risk groups, but not in the high-risk group. Conclusions: Large artery stenosis and infarction number were independent predictors of 1-year stroke recurrence in low-moderate risk but not in high-risk patients with TIA or MIS stratified by ABCD 2 score. This finding emphasizes the importance of early brain and vascular imaging evaluation for risk stratification in patients with TIA or MIS.