Correction to: Rescue of Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2 Dysfunction-induced Defects in Newborn Neurons by Pentobarbital.

C.-H. Yang's appeared incorrectly on the original publication of this article.

Combining levodopa and virtual reality-based therapy for rehabilitation of the upper limb after acute stroke: pilot study Part II.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a combination of levodopa and virtual reality (VR)-based therapy for the enhancement of upper limb recovery following acute stroke. METHODS: This was a pilot single-blinded case series of acute stroke patients with upper extremity hemiparesis. Patients were randomised to standard care with concomitant administration of either levodopa alone (control group) or combination therapy consisting of VR-based motivational visuomotor feedback training with levodopa neuromodulation (VR group). Main clinical outcome measures were the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FM-UE) assessment and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Kinematic measurements of affected upper limb movement were evaluated as a secondary measure of improvement. RESULTS: Of 42 patients screened, four patients were enrolled in each of the two groups. Two patients dropped out from the control group during the trial. Patients receiving combination therapy had clinically significant improvements in FM-UE assessment scores of 16.5 points compared to a 3.0-point improvement among control patients. Similarly, ARAT scores of VR group patients improved by 15.3 points compared to a 10.0-point improvement in the control group. Corresponding improvements were noted in kinematic measures, including hand-path ratio, demonstrating that the quality of upper limb movement improved in the VR group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that VR-based therapy and pharmacotherapy may be combined for acute stroke rehabilitation. Bedside acquisition of kinematic measurements allows accurate assessment of the quality of limb movement, offering a sensitive clinical tool for quantifying motor recovery during the rehabilitation process after acute stroke.

Rescue of Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2 Dysfunction-induced Defects in Newborn Neurons by Pentobarbital.

Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that usually arises from mutations or deletions in methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a transcriptional regulator that affects neuronal development and maturation without causing cell loss. Here, we show that silencing of MeCP2 decreased neurite arborization and synaptogenesis in cultured hippocampal neurons from rat fetal brains. These structural defects were associated with alterations in synaptic transmission and neural network activity. Similar retardation of dendritic growth was also observed in MeCP2-deficient newborn granule cells in the dentate gyrus of adult mouse brains in vivo, demonstrating direct and cell-autonomous effects on individual neurons. These defects, caused by MeCP2 deficiency, were reversed by treatment with the US Food and Drug Administration-approved drug, pentobarbital, in vitro and in vivo, possibly caused by modulation of γ-aminobutyric acid signaling. The results indicate that drugs modulating γ-aminobutyric acid signaling are potential therapeutics for Rett syndrome.

Chemoinformatic identification of novel inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis L-aspartate α-decarboxylase.

L-aspartate α-decarboxylase (ADC) belongs to a class of pyruvoyl dependent enzymes and catalyzes the conversion of aspartate to ß-alanine in the pantothenate pathway, which is critical for the growth of several micro-organisms, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Its presence only in micro-organisms, fungi and plants and its absence in animals, particularly human, make it a promising drug target. We have followed a chemoinformatics-based approach to identify potential drug-like inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis L-aspartate α-decarboxylase (MtbADC). The structure-based high throughput virtual screening (HTVS) mode of the Glide program was used to screen 333,761 molecules of the Maybridge, National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs databases. Ligands were rejected if they cross-reacted with S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) decarboxylase, a human pyruvoyl dependent enzyme. The lead molecules were further analyzed for physicochemical and pharmacokinetic parameters, based on Lipinski's rule of five, and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) properties. This analysis resulted in eight small potential drug-like inhibitors that are in agreement with the binding poses of the crystallographic ADC:fumarate and ADC:isoasparagine complex structures and whose backbone scaffolds seem to be suitable for further experimental studies in therapeutic development against tuberculosis.