Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging following major ozonated autohemotherapy for treatment of acute cerebral infarction.

Major ozonated autohemotherapy has been shown to promote recovery of upper limb motor function in patients with acute cerebral infarction, but whether major ozonated autohemotherapy affects remote injury remains poorly understood. Here, we assumed that major ozonated autohemotherapy contributes to recovery of clinical function, possibly by reducing remote injury after acute cerebral infarction. Sixty acute cerebral infarction patients aged 30-80 years were equally and randomly allocated to ozone treatment and control groups. Patients in the ozone treatment group received medical treatment and major ozonated autohemotherapy (47 mg/L, 100 mL ozone) for 10 ± 2 days. Patients in the control group received medical treatment only. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, modified Rankin scale score, and reduced degree of fractional anisotropy values of brain magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging were remarkably decreased, brain function improved, clinical efficiency significantly increased, and no obvious adverse reactions detected in the ozone treatment group compared with the control group. These findings suggest that major ozonated autohemotherapy promotes recovery of neurological function in acute cerebral infarction patients by reducing remote injury, and additionally, exhibits high safety.

Antinociceptive effects of endomorphin-2: suppression of substance P release in the inflammatory pain model rat.

Endomorphin-2 (EM2) and Substance P (SP) exert suppressive and facilitative influences upon nociception, respectively. Although EM2 and SP were often co-expressed in single neurons in dorsal root ganglion (DRG), it is still unknown if and how the nociception-suppressive influences of EM2 might be exerted upon nociception-facilitative effects of SP in the DRG neurons. We examined these issues in the inflammatory pain model rats produced by subcutaneous injection of the complete Freund's adjuvant into the hind paw. The paw withdrawal threshold for mechanical allodynia was measured. Changes of EM2 and SP release were estimated by measuring intrathecal levels of EM2 and SP through in vivo microdialysis analysis of cerebrospinal fluid. The mechanical allodynia was dose-dependently attenuated by intrathecal injection of EM2 or a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, and facilitated by intrathecal injection of SP or a mu-opioid receptor (MOR) antagonist. Importantly, intrathecal level of SP was found to be lowered by intrathecal injection of EM2. Morphologically, colocalization of EM2-, MOR- and SP-immunoreactivity in single DRG neurons was observed by immunofluorescent histochemistry, and co-expression of EM2 and SP in large, dense-cored presynaptic vesicles in primary afferents, as well as localization of MOR on pre- and postsynaptic membrane in spinal dorsal horn, was also confirmed electron miscroscopically. Thus, the results indicated that analgesic influences of EM2 upon inflammatory pain might be exerted through suppression of SP release, supporting the assumptions that binding of EM2 to presynaptic MOR might induce such effects.

The relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms of the NTRK2 gene and sporadic Alzheimer's disease in the Chinese Han population.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, whose survival and function are affected by neurotrophins and their receptors. The impaired signaling pathway of brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tropomyosin-related kinase B (BDNF/TrkB) is considered to play an important role in AD pathogenesis. To explore the association of polymorphisms within the NTRK2 gene (encoding TrkB) and sporadic AD (sAD), a case-control study was conducted in a Chinese Han cohort including 216 sAD patients and 244 control participants. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), with four of them within the promoter region and one in intron, were selected and genotyped with a polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) method. No association was revealed between these SNPs or the haplotypes containing four promoter SNPs and the risk of sAD. The results of this study indicate that polymorphisms in the selected regions of the NTRK2 gene are unlikely to confer the susceptibility of sAD in the Chinese Han population.

[Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with multiplex PCR for rapid detection of large duplications or deletions in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of multiplex PCR-denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (PCR-DHPLC) method for screening large duplications or deletions in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). METHODS: DNA was extracted from peripheral venous blood samples from 35 DMD and 6 SMA patients. Large duplications or deletions were screened with multiplex PCR coupled with DHPLC method. The results were validated with testing of positive and negative controls. RESULTS: Known duplications or deletions in all controls were reliably detected with multiple PCR coupled with DHPLC. Large duplications or deletions were found in 71.4% of 35 DMD patients, which included 5 large duplications and 20 large deletions. For SMA patients, deletions of SMN1 exon 7 were detected in 16 samples. CONCLUSION: Multiplex PCR coupled with DHPLC method is an effective and reliable method for detecting large genomic duplications or deletions in patients with DMD or SMA.

[Effect of radiofrequency of different temperatures and durations on motor conduction velocity of rat sciatic nerve].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of radiofrequency of different temperatures and durations on sciatic nerve motor conduction velocity (MCV). METHODS: The bilateral sciatic nerve of 70 adult SD rats was dissected and exposed to radiofrequency ablation of different temperatures (30, 50, 55, 60, and 70 degrees C) and durations. The nerves were also exposed to increasing ablation temperatures from 30 degrees C to 50 degrees C with an increment of 5 degrees C (60 s at each temperature), and the changes in the MCV parameters were observed. RESULTS: The MCV parameters of rat sciatic nerve underwent significant changes following the radiofrequency exposures (P<0.05) except for the exposure at 55 degrees celsius; for 10 s. Below the temperature of 55 degrees celsius;, the MCV showed no obvious correlation to the exposure time for the group. For the nerves exposed to radiofrequency of 55 degrees celsius;, the latency was not correlated to the exposure time within 30 s, and data could be obtained from 55 s group; with these exceptions, the latency was found to positively while the negative phase wave inversely correlated to the exposure time. With fixed exposure time of 60 s, the MCV parameters were positively correlated to the ablation temperature (below 50 degrees C). Failure of MCV measurement occurred following exposures to 55 degrees celsius; for 50 s (or longer) or to 60 degrees C (or higher) for 10 s. CONCLUSION: Low-temperature radiofrequency (below 50 degrees C) produces definite effects on the MCV of rat sciatic nerve, and the effects are not associated with the exposure time, the mechanism of which remains unclear. At a given temperature, the ablation for sufficiently long durations can result in complete block of the MCV. At higher temperatures, radiofrequency exposure cause obvious nerve conduction block.

[Analgesic effects of chemical lumbar sympathectomy on refractory pain in the lower limbs].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of chemical lumbar sympathectomy (CLS) on relieving refractory pain in the lower limbs. METHODS: Twenty-four patients with refractory pain in the lower limbs underwent CLS under X-ray guidance, and 2 ml contrast agent was injected at 1/3 of the second L2 vertebrae (the L2 sympathetic ganglion). Lidocaine was then injected followed by injection of 7% phenol for performing CLS. The visual analog scale was used to assess the pain severity before and after CLS. The effect of CLS on relieving lower limb pain was compared with that of oral pain-relieving medication. RESULTS: The lower limb pain was obviously relieved as shown by significantly decreased VAS scores in these patients after CLS. CLS exhibited a much more potent effect of pain relief in the lower limbs than the oral medication. CONCLUSION: CLS produces significant analgesic effects to relieve refractory pain in the lower limbs.

Inhibiting effect of vagal nerve stimulation to seizures in epileptic process of rats.

OBJECTIVE: Our previous work suggested that sensitivity of hippocampal neurons is changed in process of epileptic activities, and closely parallel to the dynamic characteristic of epileptic activity of the neurons. This study investigated the sensitivity of epileptic brain to vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) in epileptic process. METHODS: Epileptic model was evoked by penicillin. Left vagal nerves were stimulated to inhibit the seizures induced by penicillin. The electrocorticography (ECoG) and electromyography (EMG) were recorded to analyze inhibiting effect of VNS in epileptic process. RESULTS: It was found that VNS could inhibit the seizures caused by penicillin, and the inhibiting effect of VNS to seizures increased as the vagal nerve stimulating time prolonged. It was also found that the inhibiting effect of VNS to seizures decreased in epileptic process. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the sensitivity of epileptic brain to VNS was different in epileptic process. The inhibiting effect of VNS to seizure decreased as the development of seizures.

[Botulinum toxin type A does not affect spontaneous discharge but blocks sympathetic-sensory coupling in chronically compressed rat dorsal root ganglion neurons].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) on spontaneous discharge and sympathetic- sensory coupling in chronically compressed dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in rats. METHODS: In chronically compressed rat DRG, spontaneous activities of the single fibers from DRG neurons were recorded and their changes observed after BTAX application on the damaged DGR. Sympathetic modulation of the spontaneous discharge from the compressed DRG neurons was observed by electric stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic trunk, and the changes in this effect were evaluated after intravenous BTXA injection in the rats. RESULTS: Active spontaneous discharges were recorded in the injured DRG neurons, and 47 injured DRG neurons responded to Ca2+-free artificial cerebrospinal fluid but not to BTXA treatment. Sixty-four percent of the neurons in the injured DRG responded to sympathetic stimulation, and this response was blocked by intravenously injection of BTXA. CONCLUSION: BTXA does not affect spontaneous activities of injured DRG neurons, but blocks sympathetic-sensory coupling in these neurons.