The Pathology of Primary Familial Brain Calcification: Implications for Treatment / 神经科学通报·英文版

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder mainly characterized by progressive calcium deposition bilaterally in the brain, accompanied by various symptoms, such as dystonia, ataxia, parkinsonism, dementia, depression, headaches, and epilepsy. Currently, the etiology of PFBC is largely unknown, and no specific prevention or treatment is available. During the past 10 years, six causative genes (SLC20A2, PDGFRB, PDGFB, XPR1, MYORG, and JAM2) have been identified in PFBC. In this review, considering mechanistic studies of these genes at the cellular level and in animals, we summarize the pathogenesis and potential preventive and therapeutic strategies for PFBC patients. Our systematic analysis suggests a classification for PFBC genetic etiology based on several characteristics, provides a summary of the known composition of brain calcification, and identifies some potential therapeutic targets for PFBC.

Research Progress on Processing of Polygalae Radix / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Polygalae Radix， a traditional Chinese medicine， has the functions of improving intelligence， calming nerves， relieving cough and eliminating phlegm. Its processing methods are various， but the purpose of processing is to reduce toxicity and increase efficiency. In this paper， the methods of ancient processing， such as cleansing， cutting， processing with excipient and processing without excipient， were summarized， the processing methods of Polygalae Radix in the different versions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia and the local processing specifications were summarized， in order to compare the differences and research progress of different processing methods. On this basis， taking the modern research of processed products of Polygalae Radix as the breakthrough point， this paper reviewed the modern research on processed products of Polygalae Radix from the aspects of processing technology， chemical composition changes and pharmacodynamics changes before and after processing， and the mechanism of reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency. Based on the research status of processing of Polygalae Radix， some existing problems were analyzed in this paper， including not many ancient processing methods used in modern times， lack of standardized research on processing technology， few studies on the ingredients introduced by excipients， etc. The author thinks that it is necessary to strengthen the research on the ancient processing of Polygalae Radix combined with processing methods with local characteristics. While discussing the processing technology， combining with the composition and efficacy， we should carry out in-depth research on the processing mechanism of different processing products of Polygalae Radix， so as to provide scientific basis for the rationality of processing of Polygalae Radix and ensure the clinical safety of medication.

Effects of ketamine and midazolam on morphology of dendritic spines in hippocampal CA1 region of neonatal mice / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>It is a common phenomenon that children experience multiple general anesthesias in clinical practice, which raises the question whether repeated exposure to general anesthetics would interfere with the development of the central nervous system of children. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of repeated treatment with ketamine or midazolam on postnatal dendrite development by examining the morphology of the dendritic spines of the pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region in mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The transgenic green fluorescent protein-M line (GFP-M) mice were used in this study. Ketamine (100 mg/kg), midazolam (50 mg/kg) or saline (10 ml/kg) was administered intraperitoneally once a day on consecutive days from postnatal day 8 (P8) to postnatal day 12 (P12). At postnatal day 13 (P13) and postnatal day 30 (P30), the density and length of the apical dendritic spines of the pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region were examined under a confocal microscope.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At P13, for both the ketamine group and the midazolam group, the dendritic spines were found with a comparatively lower density and longer average length than in the control group. At P30, no significant difference in the density or average length of dendritic spines was found between the anesthetic group and control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study indicated that repeated exposure to ketamine or midazolam in neonatal mice impaired dendritic spine maturation immediately afterwards, but this influence seemed to disappear during further postnatal development.</p>

Fragile X syndrome and epilepsy / 神经科学通报·英文版

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is one of the most prevalent mental retardations. It is mainly caused by the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP is an RNA binding protein and can regulate the translation of its binding RNA, thus regulate several signaling pathways. Many FXS patients show high susceptibility to epilepsy. Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder which is characterized by the recurrent appearance of spontaneous seizures due to neuronal hyperactivity in the brain. Both the abnormal activation of several signaling pathway and morphological abnormality that are caused by the loss of FMRP can lead to a high susceptibility to epilepsy. Combining with the research progresses on both FXS and epilepsy, we outlined the possible mechanisms of high susceptibility to epilepsy in FXS and tried to give a prospect on the future research on the mechanism of epilepsy that happened in other mental retardations.