Botulinum Toxin A Ameliorates Neuroinflammation in the MPTP and 6-OHDA-Induced Parkinson's Disease Models.

Recently, increasing evidence suggests that neuroinflammation may be a critical factor in the development of Parkinson's disease (PD) in addition to the ratio of acetylcholine/dopamine because dopaminergic neurons are particularly vulnerable to inflammatory attack. In this study, we investigated whether botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) was effective for the treatment of PD through its anti-neuroinflammatory effects and the modulation of acetylcholine and dopamine release. We found that BoNT-A ameliorated MPTP and 6-OHDA-induced PD progression, reduced acetylcholine release, levels of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α as well as GFAP expression, but enhanced dopamine release and tyrosine hydroxylase expression. These results indicated that BoNT-A had beneficial effects on MPTP or 6-OHDA-induced PD-like behavior impairments via its anti-neuroinflammation properties, recovering dopamine, and reducing acetylcholine release.

Detection of MAGE and SSX gene expressions by RT-nested PCR using common primers in head and neck cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) and synovial sarcoma on X chromosome (SSX) gene families are silent in most normal adult tissues, but are expressed in a variety of malignant lesions. Therefore, detection of MAGE and SSX transcription may be useful for the diagnosis of head and neck cancers. The aim of this study is to detect MAGE and SSX gene transcripts of head and neck cancers using the MAGE 1-6 assay and the SSX 1-9 assay. METHODS: The transcripts of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 genes were detected by the MAGE 1-6 assay and the SSX 1-9 assay respectively, in cancer cell lines, cancer tissue, and induced sputum specimens from head and neck cancer patients. RESULTS: The transcripts of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 genes were detected in 82.8% and 75.9% of head and neck cancer tissues (N=29) respectively, and 96.6% of cancer tissues expressed at least one of MAGE 1-6 or SSX 1-9 genes. In the induced sputum of head and neck cancer patients (N=18), the transcripts of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 genes were detected in 72.2% and 77.8%, respectively, and 94.4% of the sputum specimens were positive for either the MAGE 1-6 or the SSX 1-9 assay. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the combination of MAGE 1-6 and SSX 1-9 assays may be useful in the diagnosis of head and neck cancer.