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As the major part of mesencephalic locomotion region, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPN) participates in motor initiation, rhythmic and speed regulation. In addition, PPN is regarded as a novel deep brain stimulation target for patients with Parkinson′s disease due to its dramatic effect on the gait disturbance and postural instability. However, PPN also has an important role in muscle tone control and dystonia. This review is aimed at summarizing the involvement of PPN in dystonia, providing fundamental for targeting PPN for treatment of dystonia in the future.
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Parkinson′s disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by bradykinesia, resting tremor, and hypermyotonia. Its pathological features are the loss of nigra dopamine neurons and the abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein, and there is currently no treatment that blocks the progression of the disease. Gene therapy, by increasing the expression of neurotrophic factors and increasing levels of neurotransmitters, may slow, terminate, or even reverse the progression of the disease, so it gets more attention. This article reviews the progress of registered clinical research on gene therapy for Parkinson′s disease.
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Objective To explore the characteristics of trunk muscle activity in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) in search of better treatments for abnormal posture.Methods Ninety persons with PD of different severity and 8 normal controls were studied using surface electromyography (sEMG).A sixteen-lead sEMG instrument was used to collect sEMG amplitudes from the bilateral thoracic erector spinae,lumbar erector spinae,external oblique and rectus abdominis muscles when the subjects were lying,standing and walking.Results Compared with the control group,a significant increase was observed in the sEMG amplitude of the lumbar erector spinal muscle [(18.56±14.57) μV] and rectus abdominis muscles [(24.00±18.80)μV] of the PD group when lying.Significant relative increases in (P＜0.05),of the external oblique muscles were observed [(27.87± 11.49)μV] when standing (P＜0.05),and in the thoracic erector spinae muscle [(58.74±29.69)μV] and external oblique muscles [(59.01± 25.20) μV] increased when walking (P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the sEMG activity of the external oblique muscles was significantly elevated in PD patients at Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 to 1.5 when walking.One or more of the trunk muscle groups showed significantly greater activity in the PD patients in Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 or 3 in all three positions.Conclusions The sEMG activities of the extensor and flexor muscles increase simultaneously in PD patients.More trunk muscles are involved in PD patients with higher H-Y grades.These findings provide a neurophysiological basis for the customizaton of rehabilitation therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease and for the precise selection of muscles for botulinum toxin injection.
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Objective@#To explore the current residents training of standardized training program and their attitude towards the program, so as to provide suggestions for optimizing the training system.@*Methods@#Questionnaire surveys were carried out among 1 427 resident physicians from 10 hospitals in 7 provinces and cities between March 2017 to May 2017. The investigation covered demographic information, current work and study, training effect and problems. Statistical description and χ2 test were used for analysis.@*Results@#Only 18.08% of the residents in standardized training program considered it as unnecessary, while 80% of them agreed with its effectiveness in improving their clinical skills and humanistic quality. 67.29% of them thought of resignation because of low income and high work pressure. Compared with " double track" residents, those of " double-track integration" complained of lower income and higher workload.@*Conclusions@#Chinese residents in standardized training program had a positive attitude towards the training system. However, the measures should be improved to prevent from possible occupational burnout. It is suggested that professionalism and professional identity education be improved, and subjective well-being feeling of residents be focused to avoid burnouts.
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Objective To explore the current residents training of standardized training program and their attitude towards the program,so as to provide suggestions for optimizing the training system.Methods Questionnaire surveys were carried out among 1 427 resident physicians from 10 hospitals in 7 provinces and cities between March 2017 to May 2017.The investigation covered demographic information,current work and study,training effect and problems.Statistical description and x2 test were used for analysis.Results Only 18.08％ of the residents in standardized training program considered it as unnecessary,while 80％ of them agreed with its effectiveness in improving their clinical skills and humanistic quality.67.29％ of them thought of resignation because of low income and high work pressure.Compared with " double track" residents,those of "double-track integration" complained of lower income and higher workload.Conclusions Chinese residents in standardized training program had a positive attitude towards the training system.However,the measures should be improved to prevent from possible occupational burnout.It is suggested that professionalism and professional identity education be improved,and subjective well-being feeling of residents be focused to avoid burnouts.
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Objective To analyze the acoustic features of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD),and to explore the correlation between the acoustic features and the severity and course of disease.Methods Fifty-two patients with PD from the Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical University and the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to the Medical College of Shanghai Jiaotong University from August to December 2015 were enrolled into this study.Thirty-two age-matched healthy people served as control group.PD patients were tested with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) staging.And all the patients were tested with Mini-Mental State Examiantion (MMSE) and Voice Handicap Index (VHI).The voice samples of all subjects were collected and the frequency perturbation (jitter),amplitude perturbation (shimmer),and harmonic-to-noise ratio (NHR) were analyzed using a vocal assessment.Fundamental frequency (F0),standard deviation of fundamental frequency (SDF0) and formant ratio (F2i/F2u) were analyzed using a real-time speech measuring instrument.The acoustic parameters of the two groups were compared and the correlation between the parameters of the patients and the disease and course of disease was analyzed.Results Subjective assessment using VHI showed a total of 24 VHI abnormalities (46％) in the PD group,including 13 males (54％),11 females (46％).No VHI abnormalities were found in the control group.Among the parameters analyzed by objective acoustic method,compared with the control group (female/a/1.43(1.19,1.92),/i/3.39(1.49,9.85),/u/1.46(1.23,3.85);male/a/1.06(0.92,1.89),/u/1.30(1.07,1.64)),the SDF0 of the three vowels of the female patients in the PD group (/a/2.99(1.81,4.12),Z=5.429,P＜0.01;/i/10.89(5.47,22.20),Z=8.487,P＜0.01;/u/5.16(3.75,7.80),Z=7.138,P＜0.01) and /a/ and /u/ of the male patients in the PD group (/a/2.16(1.73,2.94),Z=4.858,P=0.002;/u/3.70(2.41,5.43),Z=7.664,P＜0.01) were significantly increased,and the F2i/F2u in the PD group (male 1.96±0.84,female 1.81± 1.14) was lower than that in the control group (male 3.48±0.70,female 4.14± 1.08),and the difference was statistically significant (t=-6.669,-6.844,P＜0.01).There were no statistically significant differences in frequency perturbation,amplitude perturbation,harmonic noise ratio and fundamental frequency.Only the fundamental frequency standard deviation of the sound parameters used in the study was correlated with the disease course of PD patients.After the severity of the disease was assessed by H-Y staging,the frequency perturbation (jitter),amplitude perturbation (shimmer) in the middle and late stage patients were higher than those in the early stage patients,and the difference of frequency perturbation in the three vowels was statistically significant,and the difference of amplitude perturbation in the vowels/i/and/u/was statistically significant.No correlation was found between the acoustic parameters and UPDRS score.Conclusions Consonance disorders are common in PD patients,and the changes in acoustic parameters are mainly manifested as the increase in the SDF0 and the decrease in the F2i/F2u.Acoustic parameters can be used as an effective indicator to evaluate the condition and course of PD patients,and further language tasks need to be added to clarify.
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As a local and effective denervation method,botulinum toxin has been applied in more and more fields.Practitioners who use botulinum toxin should consider the general situation of patients based on the view of effectors,weigh the pros and cons and set reasonable goals before injection,referring to the Chinese expert consensus.
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Objective To dynamically monitor the effect of Cinepazide maleate (CM) on ischemic region of the brain and to elucidate the neuroprotection of CM on acute cerebral ischemic rat model and related mechanisms.Methods The rat model of acute brain ischemia-reperfusion was established with tighting threads.They were randomly divided into ischemia-reperfusion group and CM treatment group(n=8 in each group).Rats in CM treatment group were given 3 mg / kg CM by caudal intravenous injection immediately after brain ischemia-reperfusion.T2 weighted imaging(T2WI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HMRS) were performed before operation and at 6 hours,24 hours and 3 days after reperfusion.Results At 6 h,24 h and 3 d after operation there was no difference for areas of cerebral ischemia on T2WI between 2 groups.The values of N-acetylaspartate(NAA) (Phosphocreatine(PCr) +Creartine(Cr)) in ischemia-reperfusion group rats were (1.53±0.20),(0.50 ±0.17),(0.44±0.13),(0.40±0.10) before operation and at 6 h,24 h,3 d after operation,respectively.And in CM treatment group the values of NAA/(PCr+Cr) were (1.44±0.22),(0.68±0.13),(0.61±0.10),(0.53±0.09) at the same time points.The values of lactate(Lac)/(PCr+Cr) in ischemia-reperfusion group were (0.03±0.01),(1.10 ±0.28),(1.30± 0.23),(1.23± 0.19) before operation and at 6 h,24 h,3 d after operation,respectively.And in CM treatment group the values of Lac/(PCr+Cr) were (0.02±0.01),(0.85±0.25),(0.99±0.20),(0.90±0.15) at the same time points.The rats in ischemia-reperfusion group had lower value of NAA/(PCr+Cr) (P＜0.01) and higher value of Lac/(PCr+Cr) at all time points after operation than those before operation.Compared with rats in ischemia-reperfusion group,the value of NAA/(PCr+Cr) increased(P＜0.05) and the value of Lac/(PCr+Cr) decreased(P＜0.05) decreased significantly for CM treatment group rats.Conclusion CM treatment can decrease the intracellular accumulation of lactic acid and reduce neuronal necrosis in acute brain ischemia-reperfusion rats.
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a facial nerve disorder characterized by episodic involuntary ipsilateral facial muscle contraction. Information on Chinese patients with HFS has not been well-characterized. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical feature and the treatment status of HFS across China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A cross-sectional study including 1003 primary HFS patients had been carried out in 15 movement disorder clinics in China in 2012. The investigated information was acquired from questionnaires and medical records including demographic data, site of onset, aggravating and relieving factors, treatments prior to the investigation, etc.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In this study, the ratio of male to female was 1.0:1.8, the mean age at onset was (46.6 ± 11.5) years. About 1.0% patients were bilaterally affected. The most often site of initial onset was the orbicularis oculi muscle. The most often affected sites were orbicularis oculi, zygomatic, and orbicularis oris muscles. Stress/anxiety and relaxation were most often aggravating and relieving factors, respectively; 2.3% patients had family history, 28.4% cases were combined with hypertension, and 1.4% patients were with trigeminal neuralgia. Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injection was the most commonly used treatment, followed by acupuncture and oral medication. BTX-A maintained the highest repeat treatment ratio (68.7%), while 98.4% patients gave up acupuncture. The mean latency of BTX-A effect was (5.0 ± 4.7) days, the mean total duration of the effect was (19.5 ± 11.7) weeks, and 95.9% patients developed improvements no worse than moderate in both severity and function. The most common side effect was droopy mouth.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The onset age of HFS in China is earlier than that in western countries. The most often used two treatments are BTX-A injection and acupuncture, while the latter kept the poor repeat treatment ratio because of dissatisfactory therapeutic effect.</p>
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Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Botulinum Toxins, Type A , Therapeutic Uses , China , Cross-Sectional Studies , Hemifacial Spasm , Diagnosis , Drug Therapy , Neuromuscular Agents , Therapeutic UsesABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the impact of polyclonal neural cell adhesion molecule antibody (P-NCAM-Ab) on the potency of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A).Methods Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 equal groups:a normal control group,a BTX-A group and a P-NCAM-Ab group.The rats in the normal control group were injected with 100 μl of saline solution in their right gastrocnemius,while those in the BTX-A and P-NCAM-Ab groups were injected with 100 μl of BTX-A (0.5 U).In addition,the rats in the P-NCAM-Ab group were also injected with 100 μl of P-NCAM-Ab (the dosage was 20 U) at the same site on the 3rd day after the BTX-A injection.The rats' gastrocnemius muscle strength was evaluated with a self-made system for evaluating neuromuscular function before and after the toxin injection,on the 3rd day,as well as 1,2,4,6,8,10 and 12 weeks after the BTX-A injection.Any wet weight changes in the muscles were observed,and immunochemistry methods were employed to observe any structural changes in the motor endplates and nerve fibers at the different time points.Results After the saline injection,the average gastrocnemius muscle strength of the control group increased with time,while strength in the BTX-A and P-NCAM-Ab groups demonstrated a decrease in strength followed by a gradual increase.The average gastrocnemius muscle strength of the rats in the BTX-A and P-NCAM-Ab groups was significantly lower than that of the control group at all time points.Compared with the BTX-A group,the muscle strength of the P-NCAM-Ab group rats decreased further.Strength recovery in the BTX-A and P-NCAM-Ab groups was significantly slower than in the control group.The wet weight percentage in the BTX-A and P-NCAM-Ab groups at first decreased and then recovered with time.After the BTX-A injection,the average wet weight percentage of the P-NCAM-Ab group rats was significantly lower than that of the BTX-A group after 3 days,and 1,2 and 4 weeks.Karnovsky-Roots AchE staining showed that the motor endplates' color in the BTX-A and P-NCAM-Ab groups deepened gradually,though the color of the P-NCAM-Ab group was lighter than that of the BTX-A group at each time point.The mean optical density of the motor endplates' positive reaction area increased with time in both groups,but the P-NCAM-Ab group was lower than that of the BTX-A group at 1,2,4,8 and 12 weeks.Counting the nerve fibers dyed by gold chloride showed similar trends with both experimental groups significantly different from the control group.Conclusion P-NCAM-Ab can increase the potency of BTX-A and prolong its action.
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Objective To develop a method for dynamically observing the biological efficacy of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) and to investigate the dose-effect relationship between BTX-A dosage and muscle strength.MethodsFifty-four male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 9 groups.Groups 1-7 were injected intramuscularly with 0.1 ml BTX-A (0.01 U to 4.0 U) into the gastrocnemius on the right side.Rats in group 8 were injected intramuscularly with an equal volume of saline solution as the control group,and group 9 was used to determine the location of injection.Gastrocnemius muscle strength was evaluated using a self-made evaluation system before and after the toxin injection and on the 3rd,7th,14th,21st,30th,45th,60th and 75th day following.ResultsMuscle strength reached its lowest level on days 3 to 7,with a significant difference in the decline of muscle strength between the test groups and the control group up to day 60.With the lower BTX-A doses (0.01 U,0.1 U,0.5 U,1.0 U),muscle strength had decreased significantly on the 21st day,but recovered to its initial levels in all groups at the same time.There was no significant difference among the 1.0 U,1.5 U,2.0 U and 4.0 U groups.ConclusionsStandardized gastrocnemius injection combined with neuromuscular functional evaluation can establish a model of BTX-A dosage and muscle paralysis which can be used to assess the evolution of the biological efficacy of BTX-A.
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Objective To evaluate the primary application of drug eluting stent for treatment of vertebral stenosis. Methods One vertebral original stenosis was treated by CYPHER TM stent and the relative papers were reviewed. Results A male of 53 years old with paroxysmal vertigo and left hemiplegy revealed nothing abnormal by magnetic resonance imaging (Diffusion Weighted Imaging). But the DSC found his right vertebral origin 4.6 mm long stenosis (more than 90%), the remote artery was 2.6 mm in diameter, and angiography in the right vertebral origin showed right post inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) insufficiently filled and no development of basilar artery. When angiography in the left vertebral, there was no fill in the right PICA. The restenosis rate after vertebral origin stent posting was as high as 43.3%, but drug eluting stent can prevent restenosis. After preparation, a 2.75 mm?13 mm balloon-expandable Cypher stent was posted in on 2004-06-07. Angiography showed the stenosis disappeared, right PICA sufficiently filled, and basilar artery appeared. Antiplatelet agents were used afterwards. There was no attack of vertigo and hemiplegy in the followed-up month. Conclusions The success of using drug eluting stent in verebral artery offers a new choice on preventing ischemia stroke, the long time followed-up is necessary.