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Objective To investigate MRI appearances of aquaporin(AQP) and its effect in different brain regions of patients with Parkinson's disease(PD).Methods A prospective study was carried out in 33 PD patients(PD group) and 23 gender-and age-matched healthy controls (control group).Clinical data of PD patients were collected.The aquaporin imaging of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRDWI) with multiple b-values in different brain regions were performed to detect the apparent diffusion coefficient(AQP-ADC) values of aquaporin.The PD patients were assessed and graded by modified Hoehn-Yahr grading,then the AQP-ADC values of control group,mild PD group,moderate and severe PD group were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance.The correlation analysis was carried out to detect the relationship between AQP-ADC values in different brain regions and Hoehn-Yahr grading of PD patients.Results Compared with control group,mild PD group had significantly higher AQP-ADC values in red nucleus(RN) and globus pallidus(GP) ((0.24±0.04) vs (0.21±0.04),(0.21±0.04) vs (0.16±0.04);both P＜0.05);while the AQP-ADC values in RN and GP of moderate and severe PD group were significantly lower than that of mild PD group((0.21±0.02) vs (0.24±0.04),(0.18±0.03) vs (0.21±0.04);both P＜0.05);but there was no significant difference between moderate and severe PD group and control group(P＞0.05);and there was also no significant difference in substantianigra (SN),putamen (Pu) and thalamus (THA) among control group,mild PD group and moderate and severe PD group(P＞0.05).The correlation analysis showed that there were negative correlations between the AQP-ADC values in RN and GP and Hoehn-Yahr grading(r=-0.479 and-0.395,P＜ 0.05),while there was no correlation in SN,Pu and THA (P＞ 0.05).Conclusion The AQPADC values are increased in RN and GP of mild PD patients,and decreased in moderate and severe PD patients,while there is no significant change in SN,Pu and THA of the two groups,suggesting that the expression of AQP in different brain regions may be related to the severity and pathological stage of PD.
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Translational medicine emerging as a new concept in medical field, concentrates on the integration of theory and practice , and the conjunction of basic medical science and clinical medicine. Barriers between the basic medicine and clinical medicine existing in medical education in China make students possess limited intelligence, narrow perspectives and low creativity etc., causing the medical teaching unable to conform to the demand of translational medicine. The article introduces the basic conception of translational medicine and the necessity of medical teaching reform, the meth-ods of promoting teaching reform by integrating the curriculum systems, bettering experimental teach-ing systems, strengthening humanities education, improving faculty construction and optimizing eval-uation system for students.
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Gene therapy refers to the introduction of normal genes into human target cells for correcting gene defects or exerting therapeutic action,and thus achieves the goal of treatment of disease.Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are stem cells that possess self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation potential and easy to amplify in vitro,and they also express many therapeutic exogenous genes in vitro or in vivo.So BMSCs have been regarded as an ideal target cell of cell and gene therapy.This article reviews the biological characteristic of BMSCs,some commonly used gene therapy vectors and their applications in gene therapy of central nervous system diseases.
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Microglia is the principal immune effector cell in brain. It plays some important roles in support, nutrition, protection, and repair in the physiological activities of neuron. Microglia can be quickly activated, which may proliferate after cerebral ischemia, and promote phagocytosis of macrophage. It exerts dual effects by producing neurotoxic molecules and neurotrophic factors. Therefore, to study the relationship between microglia and cerebral ischemia, give full play to its protective functions and reduce its damage will help to improve the therapeutic effects of cerebral ischemic injury.
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Objective To study the effects of bone marrow stromal cells derived neural stem cells on apoptosis and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.Methods The model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion was set up by Longa. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups: sham-operated group (A), ischemia control group (B), bone marrow stromal cells transplanted group (C) and bone marrow stromal cells derived neural stem cells transplanted group (D). The rats were killed on the day 7 and 14 after transplantation. The brain sections were used for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP mickend labeling (TUNEL) staining and Bcl-2, Bax immunohistochemical staining.Results The number of apoptotic cells in groups C and D was decreased as compared with that in group B on the day 7 and 14 after transplantation (P
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Serum glycosyl protein and glucose levels were concomitantly measured in 35 DACVD patients, 59 ACVD patients and in a control group of 65 healthy subjects. Our data revealed statistically significant differences in serum glucose between the ACVD group and control group (P0.05).Hyperglycosemia occurring in ACVD may be a response, or really means diabetes mellitus. Our data indicated that determination of serum glycosyl protein may be useful for the differential diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy from the reactive hyperglycosemia in ACVD.