Association between the Serum Coenzyme Q10 Level and Seizure Control in Patients with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy.

Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is a chronic neurological disorder with somatic impacts and increased risk of metabolic comorbidities. Oxidative stress might play an important role in metabolic effects and as a regulator of seizure control, while coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) could improve insulin sensitivity through antioxidant effects. We aimed to investigate the association between CoQ10 level and clinical outcome, represented by the seizure frequency and quality of life, in DRE patients. DRE patients (N = 33) had significantly higher serum insulin levels and lower scores on the physical domain of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQoL) than gender-age matched controls. The serum CoQ10 level (2910.4 ± 1163.7 ng/mL) was much higher in DRE patients than the normal range. Moreover, the serum CoQ10 level was significantly correlated with the seizure frequency (r = -0.412, p = 0.037) and insulin level (r = 0.409, p = 0.038). Based on stratification by insulin resistance (HOMA-IR > 2.4), the subgroup analysis showed that patients with a greater HOMA-IR had higher CoQ10 levels and lower seizure frequency, and had a significantly worse quality of life. In summary, CoQ10 could be a mediator involved in the mechanism of epilepsy and serve as a biomarker of the clinical outcome in DER patients.

An Open Pilot Study of the Effect and Tolerability of Add-On Multivitamin Therapy in Patients with Intractable Focal Epilepsy.

Observational studies have investigated the potential modulatory effect of neuronal excitability by vitamins in epilepsy. We aimed to investigate whether the addition of multivitamin therapy (B6/B9, D, E and Q) to regular antiepileptic drug therapy could ameliorate seizures in patients with refractory focal epilepsy. We conducted a prospective cohort open study to investigate the effect and tolerability of add-on multivitamin therapy (daily dose: B6 100 mg, B9 5 mg, D 1000 IU, E 400 IU and coenzyme Q10 100 mg) in patients with intractable focal epilepsy. All patients had effect and safety assessments at baseline and after one, three and six months of the supplementation. Thirty patients (11 men and 19 women) with a mean age of 42.37 ± 9.40 years were recruited and four patients discontinued. The seizure frequency significantly decreased after the six-month supplementation (9.04 ± 18.16/month and 2.06 ± 3.89/month, p = 0.045). At the final visit, 62.5% of the patients showed a ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency, and 12.5% were seizure-free. As to safety and tolerability, most patients did not experience significant adverse events, although three patients reported seizure worsening. In conclusion, this pilot study demonstrated the therapeutic potential and essentially good tolerability of add-on multivitamin therapy in patients with refractory focal epilepsy.

Resolution enhancement for fiber bundle imaging using maximum a posteriori estimation.

We propose a new framework to jointly improve spatial resolution and remove fixed structural patterns for coherent fiber bundle imaging systems, based on inverting a principled forward model. The forward model maps a high-resolution representation to multiple images modeling random probe motions. We then apply a point spread function to simulate low-resolution figure bundle image capture. Our forward model also uses a smoothing prior. We compute a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimate of the high-resolution image from one or more low-resolution images using conjugate gradient descent. Unique aspects of our approach include (1) supporting a variety of possible applicable transformations; (2) applying principled forward modeling and MAP estimation to this domain. We test our method on data synthesized from the USAF target, data captured from a transmissive USAF target, and data from lens tissue. In the case of the USAF target and 16 low-resolution captures, spatial resolution is enhanced by a factor of 2.8.

Multifunctional PEGylated Albumin/IR780/Iron Oxide Nanocomplexes for Cancer Photothermal Therapy and MR Imaging.

A multifunctional albumin/superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPIO) nanocomplex system to deliver IR780, a photothermal agent, for cancer theranostic applications was proposed in this study. Single emulsion method was utilized to fabricate the human albumin/IR780/SPIO (HISP) nanocomplexes with a hydrophobic core (SPIO and IR780) and a hydrophilic shell (human serum albumin (HSA) and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)). Effects of PEGylation on the size and surface potential of nanocomplexes were analyzed. Nanospheres containing uniformly dispersed SPIO was observed using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) imaging. As a potential magnetic resonance (MR) imaging agent, the HISP displayed dose-dependent T2-weighted imaging contrast (R2 = 81.6 mM-1s-1). Good colloidal stability was verified from the nanocomplexes under difference circumstances. The nanocomplexes were taken up by cancer cells efficiently and led to significant photothermal-mediated cancer cell death upon short-term near infrared (NIR) irradiation in vitro. Via intravenous injection, PEG-HISP can efficiently deliver IR780 to tumor sites and showed strong photothermal effect compared to free drug on the mice model. Significant tumor suppression by the photothermal treatments using PEG-HISP was demonstrated from the mice CT26 xenograft model. Good safety profile of the PEG-HISP was confirmed from histological examination and liver functional analysis. Taken together, the results suggest that PEG-HISP is a safe and robust nano-theranostic platform for advanced anti-cancer treatment.

Two-dimensional gas chromatographic analysis of ambient light hydrocarbons.

Ambient level hydrocarbons lighter than C6 were analyzed by the Deans switch-modulated comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) method with flame ionization detection (FID). A thermal desorption (TD) device built in-house connects the GC×GC system to pre-concentrate the target compounds at ambient levels prior to GC analysis. Because the conventional orthogonality based on polarity difference for normal GC×GC separation does not provide sufficient retention for the target compounds of extremely high volatility, the orthogonality of non-polar vs. adsorptive force was adopted instead. The system employed a 100% polydimethyl siloxane column serving as the first-dimension column to provide separation based on dispersive interaction, with a short PLOT column serving as the second-dimension column to provide the needed retention based on gas-solid adsorption interactions. The shortest possible length of the PLOT column was tested to minimize the modulation period (PM) and wraparound and, at the same time, to maintain the desired resolution. The tests led to the final optimal parameters of 1.1m for the PLOT column length, 9s for the PM, 0.013 for the modulation duty cycle (DC) and a modulation ratio (MR) of 3.7 with minimal wraparound. Important criteria for quality assurance of precision and linearity are reported. The low cost and ease of construction and operation make the in-house Deans switch TD-GC×GC-FID system practical and useful for the analysis of light hydrocarbons in urban or industrial environments.

The roles of the thioredoxin system and peroxiredoxins in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium ion-induced cytotoxicity in rat pheochromocytoma cells.

The 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium ion (MPP(+)), an active metabolite of the neurotoxin, N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), induces death in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, suggesting a cell model of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, most of the toxic mechanisms remain illusive. In this study, we have found that MPP(+) induced apoptotic cell death in PC12 cells as measured by the MTT assay and annexin V-FITC staining. Besides, MPP(+) also resulted in decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased mitochondrial free radical formation as imaged by the staining of TMRE or MitoSOX, respectively, confirming the neurotoxic effect of MPP(+) by interfering with mitochondrial functions. Western blot analysis indicated that MPP(+) differentially regulated the expressions and over-oxidation of thioredoxin systems and peroxiredoxins. Since these enzymes are known to prevent oxidative stress and apoptosis, these evidences could be regarded as a novel neurotoxic mechanism of MPP(+) and also provide an alternative view of developing drug therapies for PD.

Mechanisms of Panax ginseng in preventing rat pheochromocytoma cells from apoptosis.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: Although ginseng root possesses dominant central therapeutic effects and has recently undergone investigations for treating different neuronal diseases, most of its mechanisms are still unknown. Therefore, the neuroprotective mechanisms of ginseng were studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The protection afforded by different methanol extracts of Panax ginseng (PG) was tested in a serum deprivation-induced apoptotic model using neuronal-like pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. An MTT assay, annexin V-FITC staining, and Western blots were, respectively, applied to identify the viability of cells, the apoptotic form of cell death, and the activity of antiapoptotic signaling. RESULTS: The known antiapoptotic PI3-K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways in this system were ruled out due to failure of LY 294002 and PD 98059 to block the protection by PG. A protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor was found to block the protection by PG and PG-induced CREB phosphorylation, suggesting that the PKA/CREB pathway mediates the protective effect of PG. Downregulation of classical and novel PKCs failed to block the protection by PG, while an atypical PKC inhibitor blocked protection by PG. CONCLUSIONS: PKA and atypical PKC are important for the protection afforded by PG in preventing serum deprivation-induced PC12 cell apoptosis.

Ligusticum chuanxiong as a potential neuroprotectant for preventing serum deprivation-induced apoptosis in rat pheochromocytoma cells: functional roles of mitogen-activated protein kinases.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ligusticum chuanxiong (LC) as a common component in many traditional Chinese medicinal formulas and decoctions has been used to treat different central nervous diseases, suggesting a neuroprotective function. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the functional roles of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in mediating the neuroprotection of LC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Different extractions of LC were applied with or without MAPK inhibitor to test their protection against serum deprivation-induced apoptosis in rat neuronal-like pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells as revealed by an MTT assay or Hoechst staining. Western blot was used to identify the activations of MAPKs. RESULTS: The most effective butanol extraction (LC-BuOH) was used in the following experiments. LC-BuOH reversed serum deprivation-induced decreased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and increased phosphorylation of c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38, the family of MAPKs. A PKA inhibitor, blocked the protection of LC-BuOH and partially blocked LC-BuOH-induced alterations in MAPKs, suggesting that the LC-BuOH regulates MAPKs through both PKA-dependent and -independent pathways. Although PD 98059, an inhibitor of MEK which activates ERK, blocked LC-BuOH-induced ERK phosphorylation, it did not block the protection of LC-BuOH. CONCLUSIONS: LC-BuOH mediates protection by suppressing JNK/p38 instead of activating ERK activity.

Methamphetamine downregulates peroxiredoxins in rat pheochromocytoma cells.

Methamphetamine (METH) is an abusive psychostimulant that induces neuronal cell death/degeneration in experimental animals and humans. METH-induced apoptosis in rat pheochromocytoma cells was utilized to study the neurotoxic mechanism. During METH intoxication, we found that peroxiredoxins and thioredoxins/thioredoxin reductases (peroxiredoxin reducing systems) which are known to prevent oxidative stress and apoptosis were differentially downregulated and upregulated, respectively. We also found not only the free radicals but also the oxidative forms of peroxiredoxin and thioredoxin were increased, indicating the dysfunction of these enzymes. Thus, METH-induced differential regulation and oxidation of peroxiredoxins and thioredoxin may be an important mechanism for apoptosis.