Integrative Transcriptomic Analyses of Hippocampal-Entorhinal System Subfields Identify Key Regulators in Alzheimer's Disease.

The hippocampal-entorhinal system supports cognitive function and is selectively vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Little is known about global transcriptomic changes in the hippocampal-entorhinal subfields during AD. Herein, large-scale transcriptomic analysis is performed in five hippocampal-entorhinal subfields of postmortem brain tissues (262 unique samples). Differentially expressed genes are assessed across subfields and disease states, and integrated genotype data from an AD genome-wide association study. An integrative gene network analysis of bulk and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-Seq) data identifies genes with causative roles in AD progression. Using a system-biology approach, pathology-specific expression patterns for cell types are demonstrated, notably upregulation of the A1-reactive astrocyte signature in the entorhinal cortex (EC) during AD. SnRNA-Seq data show that PSAP signaling is involved in alterations of cell- communications in the EC during AD. Further experiments validate the key role of PSAP in inducing astrogliosis and an A1-like reactive astrocyte phenotype. In summary, this study reveals subfield-, cell type-, and AD pathology-specific changes and demonstrates PSAP as a potential therapeutic target in AD.

Analysis of Population Representation Among Willed Whole-Body Donors to Facilitate the Construction of a Body Donation Program in China: From the Perspective of Medical Students and Anatomists.

The body donation program of Peking Union Medical College was established in May 1999. From May 1999 to December 2017, a total of 5,576 registrants registered and 1,459 donors donated their bodies. Demographic and medical characteristics of the donors were analyzed. The top four causes of death were neoplasms, heart diseases, respiratory diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases. Age at death among donors who died of neoplasms were significantly lower than other causes of death (all p < .05), and the interval between registration and donation among donors who died of neoplasms was significantly shorter than that among donors with other causes (all p < .001). The age of donors when they registered (p < .001) and donated (p < .001) was significantly older than that of general Beijing population. This study may provide a guide for medical colleges or research institutions to establish or enhance their own body donation programs.

High-resolution 3T magnetic resonance imaging and histological analysis of capsuloligamentous complex of the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

BACKGROUND: There are discrepancies in the understanding of the structure of the capsuloligamentous complex of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ); this study aims to investigate the differences with previous anatomical reports of high-resolution 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological analysis in illustrating the structure of the capsuloligamentous complex of the first MTPJ. METHODS: Nine fresh frozen cadaveric feet specimens (from two women and three men; aged 32 to 58 years) were used in this study. All specimens underwent MR examination with T1-weighted imaging and T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery in three planes. Subsequently, all cadaveric feet specimens were sliced into 2-mm-thick sections. The MRI features of the capsuloligamentous complex of the first MTPJ were analyzed in these specimens. Hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome staining methods were used to explore the histologic features of the capsuloligamentous complex of the first MTPJ. RESULTS: Different from most previous studies, our results showed that the plantar plate could be divided into four portions including the central portion of the plantar plate, the intersesamoid, the sesamoid phalangeal and the metatarsosesamoid ligaments. The normal central portion of the plantar plate could be clearly visualized in the sagittal and coronal plane MR images. The intersesamoid ligament is a continuation of the central portion of the plantar plate on the sagittal plane on the gross specimen, the MR imaging, and the histological examination. On the coronal plane of the gross specimen and MR imaging, the sesamoid phalangeal ligaments and the central portion of the plantar plate can be seen as separate ligaments, but they appeared interwoven with the same continuous collagenous fibers on the histological analysis. CONCLUSION: High-resolution 3T MRI allows accurate demonstration of the different anatomical details of the capsuloligamentous complex of the first MTPJ from previous anatomical reports. The histological analysis provides further understanding of the structures of the capsuloligamentous complex of the first MTPJ from previous studies.

Anatomic study of the femur-vastus intermedius muscle-anterolateral thigh osteomyocutaneous free flap.

INTRODUCTION: Resection of head and neck malignancy usually causes facial defects and esthetic deformities. Among the wide range of free flaps available for reconstruction, a novel chimeric free flap-the femur-vastus intermedius muscle-anterolateral thigh osteomyocutaneous free flap (FVATLO flap)-has been demonstrated for clinical use. In this study, we illustrate the anatomy and harvest of the FVATLO flap. METHODS: Eighteen fresh cadavers without damage to either thigh were recruited for dissection. Blood supply to the vastus intermedius muscle and femur were traced and recorded. The diameter, circumference of the middle part of the femur, and thickness of the femoral cortex were measured. RESULTS: The major blood supply to the vastus intermedius muscle showed two patterns of origin. The first arising from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA-db) accounts for 78% of the cases (28/36), and the second arising from the transverse branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA-tb) accounts for 22% (8/36). Blood supply to the femur consists of two major sources: one from branches penetrating through the nutrient foramen on the posteromedial surface of the femur to the medullary cavity, and the other from the periosteum branches spreading over on the femoral surface. No visible branch from the vastus intermedius muscle to the underlying periosteum was found. The mean diameter, femoral circumference, and mean cortical thickness were 26.30 mm, 85.58 mm, and 6.85 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: Considering that there is only one injured donor site, the FVALTO flap is an alternative chimeric flap for cases with a large amount of soft tissue loss together with small bony defects.

Occurrences, Retention and Risk Assessments of PAHs in Beidagang Wetland in Tianjin, China.

Coastal wetlands are the last barriers for pollutants from land to the sea. In this study, a coastal wetland that locates in the lower reach of Haihe River Systems was selected to speculate the removal and retention of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by analyzing their spatial distributions and the changes of composition. The results showed that the overall removal efficiency of PAHs in water phase was 58.1%. There was an accumulation for sedimentary PAHs, reaching 431 ng/g (181 ng/g in the inlet). The compositions of sedimentary PAHs were also changed, high-molecular-weight PAHs were the main component (70-50%), with a steady decreasing trend and the influence of water flow direction. The risk assessment by mean effect range media quotients (M-ERM-Qs) depicted that there was in low ecological risk, due to the degradation of PAHs in the wetlands. Our results clearly demonstrated the coastal wetlands could effectively retain the PAHs, thus we recommend an active protection strategy for the coast wetlands in Tianjin in the future.

The top 100 most-cited articles citing human brain banking from 1970 to 2020: a bibliometric analysis.

Many articles involving human brain banks have been published. Bibliometric analysis can determine the history of the development of research and future research trends in a specific field. Three independent researchers retrieved and reviewed articles from the Web of Science database using the following strategy: "TS = (((brain OR cerebral) AND (bank* OR biobank*)) OR brainbank*)." The top 100 most-cited articles were identified and listed in descending order by total citations. Web of Science was used to identify ten recent articles describing bank construction. GeenMedical ( https://www.geenmedical.com/ ) was used to identify ten recent articles from journals with an impact factor (IF) > 20. The top 100 most-cited articles citing human brain banks were published between 1991 and 2017. Fifty-two percent of the articles focused on a specific type of neurodegenerative disease, and 16% discussed the construction and development of human brain banks. Articles using brain tissue had more total and annual citations than those on bank construction. Ten articles with high IFs were published from 2017 to 2019, and they were primarily studies using novel research techniques such RNA sequencing and genome-wide association studies. Most studies were published in journals specializing in neurology or neuroscience such as Movement Disorders (10%), and had been conducted in the United States (52%) by neurologists (62%). The top 100 most-cited articles and recent publications citing human brain banks and their bibliometric characteristics were identified and analyzed, which may serve as a useful reference and pave the way for further research.

An extravascular fluid transport system based on structural framework of fibrous connective tissues in human body.

OBJECTIVE: Interstitial fluid in extracellular matrices may not be totally fixed but partially flow through long-distance oriented fibrous connective tissues via physical mechanisms. We hypothesized there is a long-distance interstitial fluid transport network beyond vascular circulations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We first used 20 volunteers to determine hypodermic entrant points to visualize long-distance extravascular pathway by MRI. We then investigated the extravascular pathways initiating from the point of thumb in cadavers by chest compressor. The distributions and structures of long-distance pathways from extremity ending to associated visceral structures were identified. RESULTS: Using fluorescent tracer, the pathways from right thumb to right atrium wall near chest were visualized in seven of 10 subjects. The cutaneous pathways were found in dermic, hypodermic and fascial tissues of hand and forearm. The perivascular pathways were along the veins of arm, axillary sheath, superior vena cava and into the superficial tissues on right atrium. Histological and micro-CT data showed these pathways were neither blood nor lymphatic vessels but long-distance oriented fibrous matrices, which contained the longitudinally assembled micro-scale fibres consistently from thumb to superficial tissues on right atrium. CONCLUSIONS: These data revealed the structural framework of the fibrous extracellular matrices in oriented fibrous connective tissues was of the long-distance assembled fibres throughout human body. Along fibres, interstitial fluid can systemically transport by certain driving-transfer mechanisms beyond vascular circulations.

Analysis of Brain Donors' Demographic and Medical Characteristics to Facilitate the Construction of a Human Brain Bank in China.

The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (CAMS/PUMC) Human Brain Bank was established in December 2012 and had accomplished 197 brain donations by November 2017. The brain bank was based on a large-scale willed body donation program in CAMS/PUMC starting from 1999. Demographic and medical characteristic analysis of brain donors was conducted to facilitate the construction of the brain bank. The average postmortem delay of brain donors was 17.7 h and 77.7% of these donors died less than 15 km away from the brain bank. Donors were predominantly with higher-level education (p < 0.001) and at an older age when registration (p < 0.001) and donation (p < 0.001) occurred. Our results elucidated the characteristics of donors in the CAMS/PUMC Human Brain Bank, which may provide useful information to target potential donors and improve the quality and quantity of brain specimens. The current study may pave the way for the construction of a nationwide network of standardized human brain banks in China.

Sports Injury-Related Fingers and Thumb Deformity Due to Tendon or Ligament Rupture.

BACKGROUND: Hand injuries are very common in sports, such as skiing and ball sports. One of the major reasons causing hand and finger deformity is due to ligament and tendon injury. The aim of this study was to investigate if the high-resolution 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can demonstrate the complex anatomy of the fingers and thumb, especially the tendons and ligaments, and provide the accurate diagnosis of clinically important fingers and thumbs deformity due to ligamentous and tendinous injuries during sport activities. METHODS: Sixteen fresh un-embalmed cadaveric hands were harvested from eight cadavers. A total of 20 healthy volunteers' hands and 44 patients with fingers or thumb deformity due to sports-related injuries were included in this study. All subjects had MR examination with T1-weighted images and proton density-weighted imaging with fat suppression (PD FS) in axial, coronal, and sagittal plane, respectively. Subsequently, all 16 cadaveric hands were sliced into 2-mm thick slab with a band saw (six in coronal plane, six in sagittal plane, and four in axial plane). The correlation of anatomic sections and the MRI characteristics of tendons of fingers and the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) at the metacarpal phalangeal joint (MCPJ) of thumb between 20 healthy volunteers and 44 patients (confirmed by surgery) were analyzed. RESULTS: The normal ligaments and tendons in 16 cadaveric hands and 20 volunteers' hands showed uniform low-signal intensity on all the sequences of the MRI. Among 44 patients with tendinous and ligamentous injuries in the fingers or thumb, 12 cases with UCL injury at MCPJ of the thumb (Stener lesion = 8 and non-Stener lesion = 4), 6 cases with the central slip injury, 12 cases with terminal tendon injury, and 14 cases with flexor digitorum profundus injury. The ligaments and tendons disruption manifested as increased signal intensity and poor definition, discontinuity, and heterogeneous signal intensity of the involved ligaments and tendons. CONCLUSIONS: Sports injury-related fingers and thumb deformity are relatively common. MRI is an accurate method for evaluation of the anatomy and pathologic conditions of the fingers and thumb. It is a useful tool for accurate diagnosis of the sports-related ligaments and tendons injuries in hand.

Intraocular Detection of Herpes viruses by xTAG Liquid Chip Technology in Patients with Acute Retinal Necrosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of the xTAG liquid chip technology (xTAG-LCT) for etiological diagnosis of acute retinal necrosis (ARN). METHODS: Fifteen vitreous and 3 aqueous samples from 18 ARN patients were analyzed by xTAG-LCT and multiplex PCR (mPCR)/quantitative PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: xTAG-LCT revealed positive results in 17 of the 18 samples: 10 for Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) alone; 5 for VZV and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV); 1 for herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and EBV; 1 for VZV, HSV-1 and EBV. While mPCR revealed the same results as xTAG-LCT for VZV and HSV-1 in all samples, only 2 of the 7 samples positive for EBV on xTAG-LCT were confirmed by qPCR. None of the 28 control vitreous samples from 8 non-ARN patients and 10 pair of cadaveric eyes was positive for any of the tested viruses. CONCLUSIONS: xTAG-LCT could be a useful alternative for etiological diagnosis of ARN.

The Correlations between Postmortem Brain Pathologies and Cognitive Dysfunction in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: The pathological diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) updated by the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) in 2012 has been widely adopted, but the clinicopathological relevance remained obscure in Chinese population. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the correlations between the antemortem clinical cognitive performances and the postmortem neuropathological changes in the aging and AD brains collected in a human brain bank in China. METHOD: A total of 52 human brains with antemortem cognitive status information [Everyday Cognition (ECog)] were collected through the willed donation program by CAMS/PUMC Human Brain Bank. Pathological changes were evaluated with the "ABC" score following the guidelines of NIA-AA. The clinicopathological relationship was analyzed with correlation analysis and general linear multivariate model. RESULTS: The general ABC score has a significant correlation with global ECog score (r=0.37, p=0.014) and most of ECog domains. The CERAD score of neuritic plaques (C score) has a significant correlation with global ECog score (r=0.40, p=0.007) and the majority of ECog domains, such as memory (r=0.50, p=0.001), language (r=0.45, p=0.002), visuospatial functions (r=0.31, p=0.040), planning (r=0.35, p=0.021) and organization (r=0.39, p=0.010). The Braak stage of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) (B score) has a moderate correlation with memory (r=0.32, p=0.035). The Thal phases of amyloid-ß (Aß) deposits (A score) present no significant correlation with any of ECog domains. CONCLUSION: In this study, we verified the correlation of postmortem C and B scores, but not the A score with cognition performance in a collection of samples from the Chinese human brain bank.

A rare diaphragm in the common carotid artery: A first case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: We present a case of common carotid artery (CCA) diaphragm. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the imaging literature. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 33-year-old woman presented herself to an annual health examination without any report of ill health. DIAGNOSES: A stenosis with aneurysm dilation on the proximal part of the right CCA was revealed on ultrasound and CTA, by which a diaphragm-like structure on the stenosis lesion was clearly identified. An anatomic variant of artery was first considered. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was followed up closely. OUTCOMES: There was no progression of her CCA stonosis 1 year later. LESSONS: This unusual and previously unreported case is presented to alert vascular sonographers and radiologists to its existence.

High-resolution 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex in Chinese Wrists: Correlation with Cross-sectional Anatomy.

BACKGROUND: The injury of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) is a common cause of ulnar-sided wrist pain. The aim of this study was to investigate if the high-resolution 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could demonstrate the detailed complex anatomy of TFCC in Chinese. METHODS: Fourteen Chinese cadaveric wrists (from four men and three women; age range at death from 30 to 60 years; mean age at 46 years) and forty healthy Chinese wrists (from 20 healthy volunteers, male/female: 10/10; age range from 21 to 53 years with a mean age of 32 years) in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from March 2014 to March 2016 were included in this study. All cadavers and volunteers had magnetic resonance (MR) examination of the wrist with coronal T1-weighted and proton density-weighted imaging with fat suppression in three planes, respectively. MR arthrography (MRAr) was performed on one of the cadaveric wrists. Subsequently, all 14 cadaveric wrists were sliced into 2 mm thick slab with band saw (six in coronal plane, four in sagittal plane, and four in axial plane). The MRI features of normal TFCC were analyzed in these specimens and forty healthy wrists. RESULTS: Triangular fibrocartilage, the ulnar collateral ligament, and the meniscal homolog could be best observed on images in coronal plane. The palmar and dorsal radioulnar ligaments were best evaluated in transverse plane. The ulnotriquetral and ulnolunate ligaments were best visualized in sagittal plane. The latter two structures and the volar and dorsal capsules were better demonstrated on MRAr. CONCLUSION: High-resolution 3T MRI is capable to show the detailed complex anatomy of the TFCC and can provide valuable information for the clinical diagnosis in Chinese.

Heavy metals in aquatic organisms of different trophic levels and their potential human health risk in Bohai Bay, China.

Fourteen aquatic organism samples were collected from Bohai Bay, and concentrations of five heavy metals were measured to evaluate the pollution levels in aquatic organisms and the potential risk to human health. The concentrations of Zn and Cu were much higher than those of Cd, Cr, and Pb in all the organisms. In general, the heavy metal concentration levels were in the order phytoplankton < zooplankton < fish < shrimp < shellfish. Heavy metal concentrations in higher trophic-level aquatic organisms in Bohai Bay were compared to those in the organisms from other worldwide coastal waters. The concentration levels of most heavy metals were higher than the 75th percentile, except that Pb concentration was between the 25th and 50th percentiles. The calculated bioconcentration factors (BCF) of Cr, Cu, and Pb for phytoplankton were less than 100, indicating no accumulation in primary producers. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of Pb for zooplankton was the highest, indicating significant Pb accumulation in zooplankton. For higher trophic-level aquatic organisms, the order of BAF values was fish < shrimp < shellfish for most metals except for Pb. The human health risk assessment suggests that strict abatement measures of heavy metals must be taken to decrease the health risk caused by consuming aquatic products.

Three new triterpenoid saponins from the roots of Ardisia crenata and their cytotoxic activities.

Three new triterpenoid saponins, ardisicrenoside O (1), ardisicrenoside P (2) and ardisicrenoside Q (3) together with three known compounds, 3ß,16α-dihydroxy-30-methoxy-28, 30-epoxy-olean-12-en, cyclamiretin A 3-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→2) -α-l-arabinopyranoside and cyclamiretin A 3-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4) -α-l-arabinopyranoside were isolated from the roots of Ardisia crenata Sims. Their structures were determined by one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques, including HSQC, HMBC and TOCSY experiments, as well as acid hydrolysis and GC analysis. All isolates were evaluated for the cytotoxic activities on two human cancer cell lines and compounds 3, 5 and 6 showed significant cytotoxicity.

Quantitative protein profiling of hippocampus during human aging.

The hippocampus appears commonly affected by aging and various neurologic disorders in humans, whereas little is known about age-related change in overall protein expression in this brain structure. Using the 4-plex tandem mass tag labeling, we carried out a quantitative proteomic study of the hippocampus during normal aging using postmortem brains from Chinese subjects. Hippocampal samples from 16 subjects died of non-neurological/psychiatric diseases were divided into 4 age groups: 22-49, 50-69, 70-89, and >90. Among 4582 proteins analyzed, 35 proteins were significantly elevated, whereas 25 proteins were downregulated, along with increasing age. Several upregulated proteins, including transgelin, vimentin, myosin regulatory light polypeptide 9, and calcyphosin, were further verified by quantitative Western blot analysis of hippocampal tissues from additional normal subjects. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the upregulated and downregulated proteins were largely involved in several important protein-protein interaction networks. Proteins in the electron transport chain and synaptic vesicle fusion pathway were consistently downregulated with aging, whereas proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease showed little change. Our study demonstrates substantial protein profile changes in the human hippocampus during aging, which could be of relevance to age-related loss of hippocampal functions.

Notch signaling activation promotes seizure activity in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Notch signaling in the nervous system is often regarded as a developmental pathway. However, recent studies have suggested that Notch is associated with neuronal discharges. Here, focusing on temporal lobe epilepsy, we found that Notch signaling was activated in the kainic acid (KA)-induced epilepsy model and in human epileptogenic tissues. Using an acute model of seizures, we showed that DAPT, an inhibitor of Notch, inhibited ictal activity. In contrast, pretreatment with exogenous Jagged1 to elevate Notch signaling before KA application had proconvulsant effects. In vivo, we demonstrated that the impacts of activated Notch signaling on seizures can in part be attributed to the regulatory role of Notch signaling on excitatory synaptic activity in CA1 pyramidal neurons. In vitro, we found that DAPT treatment impaired synaptic vesicle endocytosis in cultured hippocampal neurons. Taken together, our findings suggest a correlation between aberrant Notch signaling and epileptic seizures. Notch signaling is up-regulated in response to seizure activity, and its activation further promotes neuronal excitation of CA1 pyramidal neurons in acute seizures.

Two new steroidal saponins from Selaginella uncinata (Desv.) Spring and their protective effect against anoxia.

Four steroidal saponins were isolated from the anti-anoxic fraction of the 60% EtOH extract of Selaginella uncinata, including two new compounds, (3ß, 7ß, 12ß, 25R)-spirost-5-ene-3, 7, 12-triol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)]-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1), (2α, 3ß, 12ß, 25R)-spirost-5-ene-2, 3, 12-triol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)]-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2) and two known compounds, (3ß, 12ß, 25R)-spirost-5-ene-3,12-diol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)]-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside, (3), (1α, 3ß, 25R)-spirost-5-ene-2-diol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1→4)]-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (4). The four compounds showed potent protective effect against anoxia in the anoxic PC12 cells assay, among which compounds 1 and 2 were the most active. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the steroidal saponins in the plant S. uncinata and demonstrate their protective effect against anoxia in PC12 cell assay.

[Applied anatomy of cervico-acromial crossing skin flap].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the applied anatomy of the blood supply of the cervicoacromial crossing flap and its feasibility in clinical application. METHODS: 5 fresh adult and 10 forman fixed adult cadaver specimens were used. The arteries, veins, cutaneous arteries, subdermal vascular network, and vascular network of the superficial layer of deep fascia in the cervico-acromial area were observed and studied under the microscope. The frontier border of the cervico-acromial area is clavicle, the posterior border is the spine of scapula, the outer border is acromion and the inner border is cervical base. RESULTS: (1) The perforator branches concentrate at the front edge of trapezius muscle; (2) The vessel network around the front edge of trapezius muscle is abundant. Among the anastomosis, two or three anastomosis which across the area from the base of the neck to acromion can be observed in the axial of every cervico-acromial area. Abundant vessel network can be observed in the superficial layer of deep fascia. CONCLUSIONS: The blood supply of the cervico-acromial flap is abundant, which constains constant perforator point. The cervico-acromial crossing skin flap can be applied with the rich blood supply and abundant vessel network in the superficial layer of deep fascia.

New 3',8''-linked biflavonoids from Selaginella uncinata displaying protective effect against anoxia.

Seven 3',8''-linked bioflavonoids, including one new compound, (2''S)-2'', 3''-dihydroamentoflavone-4'-methyl ether and six known compounds: (2S)-2,3- dihydroamentoflavone-4'-methyl ether, (2S,2''S)-2,3,2'',3''-tetrahydroamento- flavone-4'-methyl ether, (2S,2''S)-tetrahydroamentoflavone, (2S)-2,3-dihydro- amentoflavone and (2''S)-2'',3''-dihydroamentoflavone (6) and amentoflavone, were isolated from the 60% ethanolic extract of Selaginella uncinata (Desv.) Spring. The structures of these compounds were elucidated mainly by analysis of their 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data, and their absolute configurations were determined by circular-dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. All the seven compounds showed protective effect against anoxia in the anoxic PC12 cells assay, in which compound 6 displayed particularly potent activity.