A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial of Electroacupuncture for Perimenopause Women with Mild-Moderate Depression.

OBJECTIVE: Up to 62% of perimenopausal women have depression symptoms. However, there is no efficacy treatment. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of EA therapy and escitalopram on perimenopause women with mild-moderate depressive symptom. METHOD: A multicenter, randomized, positive-controlled clinical trial was conducted at 6 hospitals in China. 242 perimenopause women with mild-moderate depressive symptom were recruited and randomly assigned to receive 36 sessions of EA treatment or escitalopram treatment. The primary outcome measure was the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17). The secondary outcome measures include menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL) and serum sexual hormones which include estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone. RESULTS: 221 (91.3%) completed the study, including 116 in the EA group and 105 in the escitalopram group. The baseline levels of demographic and outcome measurements were similar in the two groups. In the intervention period, there was no difference between two groups. However, in the follow-up, both HAMD-17 and MENQOL were significantly decreased, and at week 24 the mean differences were -2.23 and -8.97, respectively. There were no significant differences in the change of serum sexual hormones between the two groups. No serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: EA treatment is effective and safe in relieving depression symptom and improving the quality of life in the perimenopausal depression. Further research is needed to understand long-term efficacy and explore the mechanism of this intervention. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02423694.

Graphene quantum dots conjugated neuroprotective peptide improve learning and memory capability.

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia. Histopathologically is characterized by the presence extracellular neuritic plaques and with a large number of neurons lost. In this paper, we design a new nanomaterial, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) conjugated neuroprotective peptide glycine-proline-glutamate (GQDG) and administer it to APP/PS1 transgenic mice. The in vitro assays including ThT and CD proved that GQDs and GQDG could inhibit the aggregation of Aß1-42 fibrils. Morris water maze was performed to exanimate learning and memory capacity of APP/PS1 transgenic mice. The surface area of Aß plaque deposits reduced in the GQDG group compared to the Tg Ctrl groups. Furthermore, newly generated neuronal precursor cell and neuron were test by immunohistochemical. Besides, neurons were impregnated by DiI using gene gun to show dendritic spine. Results indicated enhancement of learning and memory capacity and increased amounts of dendritic spine were observed. Inflammation factors and amyloid-ß (Aß) were tested with suspension array and ELISA, respectively. Several pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-33, IL-17α, MIP-1ß and TNF-α) had decreased in GQDG group compared with Control group. Reversely, anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) had increased in GQDG group compared with Control group. Thus, we demonstrate that the GQDG is a promising drug in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.

The clinical presentation and imaging manifestation of psychosis and dementia in general paresis: a retrospective study of 116 cases.

In recent years, occurrence of "general paresis (GP)" has increased significantly because of the increasing incidence of syphilis in China. Early diagnosis plays a very important role for effective treatment. Incidence is becoming extensive enough to warrant an updated investigation of the clinical characteristics of GP. The authors retrospectively reviewed 116 cases of GP in Guangzhou, China, and analyzed its incidence and clinical appearance, as well as the characteristics of EEG, neuroradiology, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid examinations. Of the 116 GP patients, clinical symptoms presented frequently on admission were a variety of psychiatric-behavioral symptoms and varying degrees of dementia. Positive sucking reflex was the most common sign, as well as hyperreflexia and Argyll-Robertson pupil. EEG data mainly showed slightly abnormal EEG activity, with increased δ waves. Focal atrophy in one or multiple cerebral regions was evident on neuroimage. The prevalence of GP extends to various social strata or classes, with clinical presentation varying considerably among patients. For patients with progressive cognitive and behavioral deterioration, accompanied with psychotic and/or affective behavioral disorders or cerebral atrophy of unknown cause, general paresis should be considered.

Treatment of Parkinson disease with C17.2 neural stem cells overexpressing NURR1 with a recombined republic-deficit adenovirus containing the NURR1 gene.

To study the potential benefit of the NURR1 gene in Parkinson's disease (PD), we constructed a recombinant republic-deficit adenovirus containing the NURR1 gene (Ad-NURR1) and expressed it in transplanted neural stem cells (NSC). Ad-NURR1 was constructed, and NURR1 mRNA and protein expression were identified by in situ hybridization and western blot analysis, respectively. The identified NURR1 protein could directly or indirectly induce NSC differentiation into neurons. To identify a potential therapeutic use for the transfected NSCs, cells were transplanted into 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats. Histopathological and behavioral alterations were evaluated via immunohistochemistry and the ration test, respectively, in rats transplanted with NSCs with or without the Ad-NURR1 adenovirus. The Ad-NURR1 construct effectively expressed the NURR1 protein, which could directly or indirectly induce NSC differentiation into neurons. Both histopathological and behavioral alterations were seen in rats treated with NSCs with or without the Ad-NURR1 construct, although in the case of the latter, the benefits were more robust. These results suggest a potential therapeutic benefit for Ad-NURR1-expressing cells in the treatment of PD. The Ad-NURR1 modification induced NSC differentiation and therefore represents a potential therapy for PD.

Considerations on intervention goal and efficacy evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of neurological diseases.

In the last several years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has made much progress in the treatment of neurological diseases. The living space of TCM in neurological diseases lies in refractory diseases, aging and chronic diseases caused by multiple factors as well as sub-health state and chronic fatigue state. The effect model of TCM mainly consists of whole effect, self-organization, self-stable model, holographic effect and butterfly effect. The effective point of TCM in neurological diseases lies mainly in end-points and health-related events. Moreover, TCM has advantages in the evaluation of symptoms, syndrome and quality of life (QOL). Some key indexes should be included when evaluating the efficacy of TCM in neurological diseases. Meanwhile, the advantages of TCM such as end-points, health-related events and QOL should be highlighted. Multi-subject researching methods could be adopted to make a comprehensive evaluation of subjective and objective indexes. The clinical evidence on the TCM efficacy evaluation may come from RCTs, and other types of designs can also be considered.