No abstract

Diabetes exacerbates brain damage in cerebral ischemic stroke. Our previous study has demonstrated that after cerebral ischemia, type 2 diabetes rats displayed worse neurological outcomes, larger cerebral infarction and severer blood-brain barrier disruption. However, our knowledge of the mechanisms of how diabetes impacts the cerebrovascular repair process is limited. This study was aimed to characterize structural alterations and potential mechanisms in brain microvessels before and after ischemic stroke in type 2 diabetic rats treated with high-fat diet and streptozotocin (HFD/STZ). Furtherly, we tested our hypothesis that dysregulated intercellular Jagged1-Notch1 signaling was involved in the dysfunctional cerebral neovascularization both before and after ischemic stroke in HFD/STZ rats. In our study, we found increased yet dysfunctional neovascularization with activated Jagged1-Notch1 signaling in the cerebrovasculature before cerebral ischemia in HFD/STZ rats compared with non-diabetic rats. Furthermore, we observed delayed angiogenesis as well as suppressed Jagged1-Notch1 signaling after ischemic stroke. Our results elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying diabetes-related cerebral microvasculature dysfunction after ischemic stroke.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical prognostic significance of adhesion molecules in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues and peripheral blood. Materials and Methods: Flow cytometry assays for the expression levels of CD44v6 and CD62P protein in peripheral blood and tissues from controls and NPC patients were performed. Clinical and pathological features were reported and analyzed, and a survival study was carried out. Results: The expression of CD44v6 and CD62P in NPC tissues and peripheral blood was higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). Expression levels in peripheral blood of stage III/IV NPC patients was markedly higher than that of patients in stage I/II (p < 0.05), while it had no statistically significant difference in tissues (p > 0.05). The expression levels of CD44v6 and CD62P in the lymph gland metastasis and distant metastasis group were higher than groups without such metastasis (p < 0.05), and there was no statistical difference in NPC tissues (p > 0.05). The survival rates of NPC groups with low expression in the peripheral blood were higher than those of high-expression groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Joint detection of CD44v6 and CD62P in the peripheral blood or tissues of NPC patients has diagnostic and prognostic value as a marker of poor clinical outcome.