ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effect of artesunate on mice with acute Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii) infection. Methods:Based on body weight (16 - 18 g), sixty-four C57BL/6 female mice aged 6 - 8 weeks were divided into 4 groups by random number table method: uninfected control group without treatment; T. gondii-infected group (Tg group), each mouse was intraperitoneally (i.p.) infected with 100 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain; T. gondii-infected + artesunate treatment group (Tg + ART group), 3 hours after each mouse i.p. infected with 100 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain, artesunate solution was i.p. injected at a dose of 30 mg/kg, once a day for a total of 7 consecutive days; T. gondii-infected + sulfadiazine treatment group (Tg + SDZ group), 3 hours after each mouse i.p. infected with 100 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain, sulfadiazine solution was orally administrated at a dose of 100 mg/kg, once a day for a total of 7 consecutive days. There were 16 mice in each group, in which 10 mice were used to observe survival time and 6 mice were used to monitor body weight and collect tissue samples. Mice were weighed every day from day 1 post infection (p.i.); mice were sacrificed at day 7 p.i., the liver weights of mice were weighed and the liver indexes were calculated; liver tissues were paraffin-embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), and the pathological changes of liver tissues of mice in each group were observed under a light microscope. The expression levels of T. gondii major surface antigen 1 (SAG1) in the liver tissues of mice in each group were detected by real-time quantitative PCR for evaluating parasite load. Results:All mice in the uninfected control group were survived. The survival time was 7 - 9 days in Tg group, 8 - 11 days in Tg + ART group, and 9 - 13 days in Tg + SDZ group. Compared with Tg group, the survival times of mice in Tg + ART group and Tg + SDZ group were significantly longer ( P < 0.05). On day 7 p.i., compared with uninfected control group, Tg + ART group or Tg + SDZ group, the body weight of mice in Tg group was lower ( P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference of body weight in Tg + ART group and Tg + SDZ group compared with uninfected control group ( P > 0.05). Compared with Tg group, Tg + ART group and Tg + SDZ group had lower liver indexes and SAG1 mRNA expression levels in the liver tissues ( P < 0.05 or < 0.001), and liver histopathological changes were milder. Compared with Tg + SDZ group, there was no significant difference in both liver index and SAG1 mRNA expression level in the liver tissue of Tg + ART group ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:Artesunate solution i.p. injection can prolong the survival time, reduce parasite load in the liver, and attenuate hepatic pathological damage, to a certain extent, of mice with acute T. gondii infection.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of computer-assisted cognitive training in the treatment of cognitive impairment after stroke.Methods:A total of 155 stroke survivors with vascular cognitive impairment were identified at 31 hospitals. They were randomly divided into a control group of 72 and an experimental group of 77 (6 failed to follow up). The control group received 30 minutes of conventional cognition training 5 times a week for 2 weeks, while the experimental group was given computer-assisted cognition training. Before and after the treatment, both groups′ cognition was evaluated using Chinese versions of the Mini Mental State Assessment Scale (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Test (MoCA).Results:After the treatment, the average MMSE and MoCA scores of the observation group [(22.5±3.62) and (19.69±4.43)] and the control group [(21.7±4.30) and (19.10±5.58)] were significantly better than those before the treatment [(19.3±3.08) and (16.79±4.58); (19.7±3.11) and (17.74±5.25)]. The post-treatment difference between the groups′ averages was not significant, but the observation group′s improvements on the immediate memory, delayed memory and calculation portions of the MMSE were significantly greater than those of the control group.Conclusions:Computer-assisted cognition training can improve the overall cognitive functioning of stroke survivors, achieving the same therapeutic effect as conventional cognitive therapy. It is more effective than conventional cognitive therapy in promoting immediate memory, delayed memory and calculation ability.