Combining inhibitory and facilitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment improves motor function by modulating GABA in acute ischemic stroke patients.

BACKGROUND: The combination of inhibitory and facilitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve motor function of stroke patients with undefined mechanism. It has been demonstrated that rTMS exhibits a neuro-modulatory effect by regulating the major inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in other diseases. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of combined inhibitory and facilitatory rTMS on GABA in the primary motor cortex (M1) for treating motor dysfunction after acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: 44 ischemic stroke patients with motor dysfunction were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group was stimulated with 10 Hz rTMS at the ipsilesional M1 and 1 Hz rTMS at the contralesional M1. The sham group received bilateral sham stimulation at the motor cortices. The GABA level in the bilateral M1 was measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) at 24 hours before and after rTMS stimulation. Motor function was measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA). The clinical assessments were performed before and after rTMS and after 3 months. RESULTS: The treatment group exhibited a greater improvement in motor function 24 hours after rTMS compared to the sham group. The increased improvement in motor function lasted for at least 3 months after treatment. Following 4 weeks of rTMS, the GABA level in the ipsilesional M1 of the treatment group was significantly decreased compared to the sham group. Furthermore, the change of FMA score for motor function was negatively correlated to the change of the GABA:Cr ratio. Finally, the effect of rTMS on motor function outcome was partially mediated by GABA level change in response to the treatment (27.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Combining inhibitory and facilitatory rTMS can decrease the GABA level in M1, which is correlated to the improvement of motor function. Thus, the GABA level in M1 may be a potential biomarker for treatment strategy decisions regarding rTMS neuromodulatory interventions.

[Impacts of human activity on Bayin River runoff as revealed by tree rings in Qaidam Basin, China]. / åˆ©ç”¨æ ‘è½®æ­ç¤ºäººç±»æ´»åŠ¨å¯¹æŸ´è¾¾æœ¨ç›†åœ°å·´éŸ³æ²³å¾„æµé‡çš„å½±å“.

Evaluating the impacts of human activity on river runoff has important implications for regional water resource management. Here, we used seven tree-ring width chronologies to establish a regional mean tree-ring width chronology from the northern mountain of Delingha, Qaidam Basin. We conducted the correlation, moving correlation and regression analysis of regional mean tree-ring width chronology with runoff data from Bayin River gauge station. Then, we stimulated the June runoff of Bayin River from 1956 to 2002. The results showed that the highest correlation coefficient was found for June runoff (r=0.63, P<0.01), and their moving correlation coefficient decreased after 1986. Based on the stable relationship between tree-ring width chronology and the June runoff during 1956-1986, we built the reconstruction function, which was explained 50.8% of observed runoff. The stimulated runoff during 1987 to 2002 was significantly higher than the observed runoff (3.01 m3·s-1, P<0.001). These results indicated that human activity from the upper river had significant impacts on Bayin River runoff. Human activity should be considered as an important factor to protect security of sustainable water resource utilization for future water resource development and utilization in Bayin River region.

[Study on the Relationship between Soil Emissivity Spectra and Content of Soil Elements].

In this paper, based on the measurements of soil elements content and infrared spectra of 26 soil samples collected in more than 10 places, the relationship between soil emissivity in mid-infrared bands and the content of 11 soil elements including organic matters such as NO(3)-N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn and pH are analyzed. The bands where the soil elements content are significantly correlated with emissivity are given. And soil elements content estimation method is established based on the soil emissivity spectra with the partial least squares regression model and multiple stepwise regression model. The results show that: (1) In 8~10 µm, the correlation coefficient (R(2)) between Ca and soil emissivity is the highest, followed by Mg, Mn and Fe, with the highest correlation coefficient of 0.85 and the lowest, 0.52. In the range of 6~8 µm, the correlations between the contents of K, Fe, NO(3)-N, Zn and emissivity decrease gradually, with the highest correlation coefficient of 0.75 and the lowest 0.48. In 10~14 µm, the correlation between soil elements contents and emissivity is the highest for Mn, followed successively by P and K. (2) The scatter plot of soil emissivity and pH value has a parabola relation basically. The emissivity is the highest when pH value is 7, while the emissivity decreases gradually with the gradual decrease of pH value. (3) The accuracy of the estimated soil elements content from the partial least squares regression method is higher than that from the multiple stepwise regression method. It is noted that R(2) between the measurements and the estimates for the elements of Cu, Fe and Ca from the partial least squares regression method are very high (larger than 0.9). Additionally, using the simulated emissivity spectrum in the ASTER thermal infrared bands, modeling R(2) and validation R(2) between the measurements and the estimates for the elements of Ca from the multiple stepwise regression method are high (0.774 and 0.892, respectively). Using the simulated emissivity spectrum in the MODIS infrared bands, modeling R(2) and validation R(2) for Ca and Fe are higher than 0.85, and modeling R(2) and validation R(2) for Mg, K are higher than 0.5. As a whole, the emissivity spectrum in ASTER band 10 and band 11 and MODIS bands 28, 29, 30 are more sensitive to soil elements content, and thus they are more suitable for the estimation of soil elements content.

[Hepatitis C virus F protein-mediated inhibition of hepatoma cell proliferation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biological function of the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-encoded F protein in hepatocytes. METHODS: The full-length F gene was amplified by PCR from HCV genotype 1a and cloned into plasmid pSEB-3Flag by restriction enzyme digestion and ligation. Hepatoma cell lines, Huh7 and SMMC7721, were transfected with the resultant recombinant pSEB-3Flag-F or the original pSEB-3Flag (negative control) and screened with the selective antibiotic, blasticidin. Stable F gene and protein expression was verified by RT-PCR analysis. Analysis of cell growth and cell cycle was carried out by MTS assay, crystal violet staining and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Huh7 and SMMC7721 cells transfected with pSEB-3Flag-F plasmid (Huh7-F and SMMC7721-F, respectively) uniquely expressed the F gene and protein. The Huh7-F and SMMC7721-F cells showed significantly decreased proliferation rates, compared to the respective control groups. A similar HCV F-mediated growth-inhibiting activity was observed by the cell viability assay. Furthermore, cell cycle analysis revealed that the S-phase distribution was much lower in Huh7-F (47.12%) and SMMC7721-F (30.75%) cells than in the respective controls (55.35% and 33.23%, respectively) (P less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: Stable expression of the HCV F gene reduced the in vitro proliferation rate of hepatoma cell lines, indicating that the F protein may function as a growth inhibitor of infected cells.

[Hepatic lineage differentiation of hepatic progenitor cells by bone morphogenetic protein or leukemia inhibitory factor].

OBJECTIVE: To search for the optimal approach for hepatocyte-directed differentiation of hepatic progenitor cells and investigate the molecular mechanism of the hepatic differentiation. METHODS: Hepatic progenitor cells were infected with recombinant adenovirus which containing human LIF, BMP2 or BMP9 gene. The maturation and differentiation of progenitor cells were examined by PAS staining and ICG uptake methods at 4, 7 and 10 days post infection. The production of Albumin (Alb) was measured by luciferase activity at day 4, 7, 10 and 14. RESULTS: PAS staining assay revealed that BMP2 and BMP9 enhanced glycogen storage in hepatic progenitor cells most obviously at day 7. The percentages of positive cells were 30% and 45% respectively at 7 days post-infection. Meanwhile, 40% and 30% cells were positive by ICG uptake assay after BMP2 and BMP9 induction. Luciferase activity indicated that BMP9 induced ALB-Luc activity most significantly at day 7. However, less inductive activity was found in LIF-treated group. CONCLUSION: These results indicated tuat hepatic progenitor cells were differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells by BMPs and LIF induction.

Neonatal exposure to intermittent hypoxia enhances mice performance in water maze and 8-arm radial maze tasks.

Hypoxia has generally been reported to impair learning and memory. Here we established a hypoxia-enhanced model. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) was simulated at 2 km (16.0% O2) or 5 km (10.8% O2) in a hypobaric chamber for 4 h/day from birth to 1, 2, 3, or 4 week(s), respectively. Spatial learning and memory ability was tested in the Morris water maze (MWM) task at ages of postnatal day 36 (P36)-P40 and P85-89, respectively, and in the 8-arm maze task at P60-68. The long-term potentiation (LTP), synaptic density, and phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (p-CREB) level in the hippocampus were measured in mice at P36 under the IH for 4 weeks (IH-4w). The results showed that IH for 3 weeks (IH-3w) and IH-4w at 2 km significantly reduced the escape latencies of mice at P36-40 in the MWM task with significantly enhanced retention, and this spatial enhancement was further confirmed by the 8-arm maze test in mice at P60-68. The improvement in MWM induced by IH-4w at 2 km was still maintained in mice at P85-89. IH-4w at 2 or 5 km significantly increased amplitude of LTP, the number of synapse, and the p-CREB level in the hippocampus of P36 mice. These results indicated that IH (4 h/day) exposure to neonatal mice at 2 km for 3 or 4 weeks enhanced mice spatial learning and memory, which was related to the increased p-CREB, LTP, and synapses of hippocampus in this model.