In this study, we investigated the effects of hinokitiol, a small-molecule natural compound, against neuronal ferroptosis after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A controlled cortical impact (CCI) mouse model and excess glutamate-treated HT-22 cells were used to study the effects of hinokitiol on TBI. Hinokitiol mitigated TBI brain tissue lesions and significantly improved neurological function. Neuron loss and iron deposition were ameliorated after hinokitiol administration. Hinokitiol alleviated excessive glutamate-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, and Fe ²⁺ accumulation in HT-22. Mechanistically, hinokitiol upregulated heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression, promoted nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation, and inhibited the activation of microglia and astrocyte after TBI. These results suggest that hinokitiol has neuroprotective effects on rescuing cells from TBI-induced neuronal ferroptosis. In summary, hinokitiol is a potential therapeutic candidate for TBI by activating the Nrf2/Keap1/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) have a key role in various critical steps of tumor growth and progression through effects on angiogenesis, inflammation and the growth and invasion of malignant cells. Nevertheless, the role of the FGF family in human glioblastoma (GBM) has been rarely studied. The objective of the present study was to assess the RNA expression of all FGF family members in tissues obtained from patients with GBM and to analyze the association between FGF expression and the survival of these patients. For this, the RNA expression of FGF family members in the malignant and proximal tissues of 12 patients with GBM was determined by analyzing high‑throughput RNA transcriptome sequencing data uploaded to the National Center for Biotechnology Information database. The relationship between FGF genes and the survival of patients with GBM and glioma was also respectively studied by analyzing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis tool. The results showed that the expression of FGF1, FGF17, FGF20 and FGF22 in GBM tissues was lower than that in adjacent tissues, with a difference of >2 times. Analysis of the overall survival of patients with GBM indicated there were no significant relationships between the expression of FGF1, FGF17, FGF20, FGF22 and overall survival. Analysis of the overall survival of patients with glioma showed that glioma patients with low FGF1 expression achieved a longer survival time than patients with high FGF1 expression; however, high expression of FGF17 and FGF22 indicated a longer survival time. In summary, the results of the present study demonstrated the panoramic expression of FGF family members in patients with GBM, and indicated that FGF1, FGF17 and FGF22 did not affect the survival of patients with GBM, but had a notable influence on the survival of patients with glioma.

Several studies have reported that laterality of the human brain affects anxiety levels. However, the correlation between anxiety and glioma laterality remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different hemispheric gliomas on the anxiety and prognosis of patients with glioma and to explore the independent risk factors for anxiety in different hemispheric gliomas. This study included 379 patients with gliomas. Two different scales, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), were both applied before surgery and at 6 months and 1 year after surgery. All these patients were followed up until death or 36 months. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were identified from the survival data of these patients. Anxiety scores before surgery were higher in patients with right-hemisphere gliomas than in patients with gliomas in the left hemisphere. However, this difference was not observed at 6 months or 1 year after surgery. We found that female sex, diabetes, epilepsy, and World Health Organization (WHO) grade were independent risk factors for anxiety in patients with left hemispheric gliomas and that epilepsy was an independent risk factor for anxiety in patients with right hemispheric gliomas. Worse OS and PFS were closely related to gliomas in the left hemisphere. Gliomas in the right hemisphere are more likely to cause anxiety. Gliomas in the left hemisphere tend to lead to poorer survival. Risk factors might contribute to early psychological prevention in patients with gliomas.

Introduction Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), remarkable achievements have been made in poverty alleviation. Over the past five years, the population of people living in poverty had decreased by 68.53million, fallen from 98.99 million in 2012 to 30.46 million at the end of 2017. As an impoverished province, Hebei province has been implementing the CPC Central Committee's guidance in the battle against poverty. In 2016, the government released the Implementation Scheme Plan for Improving the Level of Medical Security and Assistance. The plan introduces multi-layer medical security and assistance mechanisms which covers basic medical insurance, major disease insurance and medical assistance. In 2017, the government formulated the Implementation Plan for the Three-Batch Action Plan on the Health Care Program for Poverty Alleviation in Hebei Province, for people with major disease. Hebei Province has carried out many explorations on the health care program for poverty alleviation, and its effectiveness is a problem worthy of attention. Methods Based on data including basic medical insurance, major illness insurance, medical assistance, and other related information, we used descriptive statistics and quantitative methods to evaluate the overall expenditure of the poverty alleviation for Hebei province and the areas under its jurisdiction. Additionally, the expenditure of different levels of medical security system, the medical burden for people facing poverty and the distribution of disease in the population with assistance were evaluated. Results The out-of-pocket payment per capita has decreased year by year, and it has dropped to 3% of catastrophic medical expenditure and 20% below the poverty line by June 2018. An imbalanced situation occurred with the implementation, with the more impoverished areas having greater the pressure on medical care and poverty alleviation. For people with medical assistance, diseases with higher population and overall expenditure are cerebrovascular disease, malignant tumor, diabetes and some other chronic diseases. Conclusions The health policies for poverty alleviation in Hebei province has achieved a remarkable success, and the medical burden of the poor has been significantly reduced. However, the implementation of the policies in various cities has shown an imbalanced situation, and the poverty alleviation policies need to be further improved.