Effects of kallikrein gene transfer on penumbral microvascular proliferation and on regional cerebral blood flow following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND： Recent findings have demonstrated that the kallikrein-kinin system （KKS） participates in the pathological process of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Kallikrein gene transfer exhibits neural protective effects following cerebral infarction. OBJECTIVE： To observe the effects of kallikrein gene transfer on vascular proliferation in the peripheral infarct focus and on regional cerebral blood flow （rCBF） following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The completely randomized, controlled experiment was performed at the Lin Baixin Laboratory Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sun University between September 2007 and April 2008. MATERIALS： pUCI9-HTK plasmid was constructed and maintained in the Laboratory for Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, China. Mouse anti-human kallikrein 1 monoclonal antibody was purchased from R＆D Systems, USA. METHODS Ninety healthy, male, Sprague Dawley rats were used. Middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） was established in all rats to induce cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Following MCAO establishment, all rats were randomly divided into three groups （n = 30）： blank control, saline, and pAdCMV-HTK. The saline and pAdCMV-HTK groups were stereotactically micro-injected with 5μL of physiological saline or with pAdCMV-HTK [multiplicity of infection （MOI） = 20], respectively, into the ischemic penumbra. In the blank control group, only sham injection was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： At 12, 24, and 72 hours after treatment, cerebral infarction volume was measured by 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining. Exogenous HTK expression, as well as regional vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） expression, was detected by immunohistochemistry. rCBF was examined by 14C-iodoantipyrine micro tracing. In addition, neurological severity score （NSS） was performed. Higher scores indicated more severe neurological deficits. RESULTS： NSS res     

Effect of nicorandil on infarct volume and marker enzyme activity in mitochondria of rats with cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion injury★

BACKGROUND： Recent studies have suggested that mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K＋ channel openers could reduce myocardium infarct size, and protect the function of the mitochondria. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the changes of cerebral infarction volume and the activity of marker enzymes in brain mitochondria of rats given the ATP-sensitive K＋ channel opener, nicorandil, before focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion （I/R）. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Randomized, controlled animal experiment, completed at the Brain Scientific Research Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from July to November 2007. MATERIALS： Sixty healthy male Wistar rats weighing 280-300 g. Nicorandil, 5-hydroxydecanoate （5-HD） and cytochrome C were purchased from Sigma in the USA. Standard malondialdehyde （MDA） and protein were purchased from Nanjing Jiancheng Biotechnology Institute. METHODS： Sixty rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） group, a nicorandil group and a nicorandil＋5-HD group. MCAO for 2 hours was performed in the MCAO group, nicorandil group and nicorandil＋5-HD group. A total of 5 mL saline were given to the MCAO group before MCAO. The nicorandil group was injected with the ATP-sensitive K＋ channel opener nicorandil 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally 30 minutes before MCAO. The nicorandil＋5-HD group was injected with 5-HD 10 mg/kg intravenously 15 minutes before the same treatment as the nicorandil group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Infarct volume by total brain slice calculation, activities of succinate dehydrogenase （SDH） and cytochrome oxidase （CO）, and content of MDA were observed at 22 hours of reperfusion after 2 hours MCAO. RESULTS： Sixty rats were included in the final analysis, without any loss. （1） Infarct volume： compared with the MCAO group and nicorandil＋5-HD group, the percentage of infarct volume was significantly decreased in the nicorandil group （P 〈 0.01）. （2） The content of MDA, expression of     

Naoxintong dose effects on inflammatory factor expression in the rat brain following focal cerebral ischemia

BACKGROUND： Certain components of tetramethylpyrazine, a traditional Chinese medicine, exhibit protective effects against brain injury. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the effects of different Naoxintong doses on expression of nuclear factor-kappa B （ kB）, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and complement 3 in rats following focal cerebral ischemia. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The randomized experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Neurology, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from June 2004 to June 2006. MATERIALS： A total of 150 adult, healthy, male, Sprague Dawley rats, weighing 280-320g, were selected. Naoxintong powder （mainly comprising szechwan lovage rhizome, milkvetch root, danshen root, and radix angelicae sinensis） was obtained from Buchang Pharmacy Co., Ltd. in Xianyang City of Shanxi Province of China, lot number 040608. METHODS： The rats were randomly assigned into sham operation, saline, high-dose Naoxintong, moderate-dose Naoxintong, and low-dose Naoxintong groups, with 30 rats in each group. Rat models of middle cerebral artery occlusion were established using the suture method, with the exception of the sham operation group. Rats in the high-dose, moderate-dose and low-dose Naoxintong groups received 4, 2, and 1 g/kg Naoxintong respectively, by gavage. Rats in the saline group were treated with 1 mL saline by gavage All rats were administered by gavage at 5 and 23 hours following surgery, and subsequently, once per day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： At 6, 24, 48, 72 hours, and 7 days following model establishment, brain water content was measured. Histopathological changes in brain tissues were detected using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Expression of nuclear factor- kB, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor- α, and complement 3 was examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS： A total of 150 rats were included in the final analysis with no loss. Brain water content was significantly increased in the ischemic hemisphere of rats from the saline, as well as the high-dose, mo     

bcl-xl over-expression in transgenic mice reduces cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury*☆

BACKGROUND： Basal cell lymphoma-extra large （bcl-xl） can inhibit neuronal apoptosis by stabilizing the mitochondrial membrane and suppressing cytochrome C release into the cytoplasm. OBJECTIVE： This study aimed to further investigate the cascade reaction pathway of cellular apoptosis. We established an ischemia/repcrfusion model by middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） in transgenic and wild-type mice, and observed changes in the number and distribution of apoptotic neural cells, differences in cerebral infarct volume, in neurological function score, and in cytochrome C expression in the ischemic cerebral cortex, at different time points, DESIGN AND SETTING： The present gene engineering and cell biology experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Biology, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences and at the Laboratory of Immunology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. MATERIALS： Male bcl-xl over-expression Kunming mice aged 8 weeks and age-matched male wild-type mice were used for this study. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL） kits were purchased from Boliman, France. Cytochrome C antibody and Bcl-x immunohistochemical kit were purchased from PharMingen, USA and Santa Cruz Biotechnology, USA, respectively. METHODS： Following MCAO and reperfusion, apoptosis in the ischemic cerebral cortex was detected by the TUNEL assay. Prior to MCAO and 3 hours after reperfusion, the Bcl-xl protein level in the ischemic cerebral cortex was measured by immunohistochemistry. At 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours after reperfusion, the level of cytochrome C in the ischemic cerebral cortex was examined by western blot analysis. Subsequent to MCAO, cerebral infarct volume measurement and neurological examination were performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Neural cell apoptosis and cytochrome C expression in the ischemic cerebral cortex; cerebral infarct volume and neurological function score. RESULTS： Twenty-four hours after reperfusion, cerebral inf     

Identification of blood-brain barrier function following subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats at different stages*☆

BACKGROUND： Recent studies have indicated that blood-brain barrier （BBB） disruption following subarachnoid hemorrhage （SAH） significantly correlates with the development of brain injury and poor prognosis of patients subjected to SAH. OBJECTIVE： To investigate both functional and structural changes related to BBB in various phases after SAH in rats through quantitative and qualitative methods. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： This experiment, a completely randomized design and controlled experiment, was performed at the Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing University of Medical Sciences from June 2006 to March 2007. MATERIALS： A total of 128 female, healthy, Sprague-Dawley rats were selected for this study. Main reagents and instruments： Evans Blue dye （Sigma Company, USA）, fluorescence spectrophotometer （Shimadzu Company, Japan）, and transmission electron microscope （Olympus Company, Japan）. METHODS： The included 128 rats were randomly divided into two groups： sham-operated group （n = 16） and SAH group （n = 112）. Rats in the SAH group were divided into seven subgroups： 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 hours after SAH （16 rats for each time point）. Experimental SAH was induced by blood injection into the pre-chiasmatic cistern （300 μ L）. The sham-operated group received an equivalent volume of normal saline solution （300 μ L） injected into the subarachnoid space. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Brain tissue water content was determined by the wet-dry method. BBB permeability in the cerebral cortex was determined by Evans Blue dye and fluorescent spectrophotometer. The ultrastructural changes in BBB were observed with transmission electron microscope. RESULTS： Compared with the sham-operated group, SAH induced a significant increase in brain water content between 24 and 60 hours （F = 888.32, P 〈 0.05）. Brain water content increased to a maximum by 36 hours after SAH, normalizing by 72 hours. Evans Blue content in the cerebral corte     

Effects of Rubus parvifolius L. on neuronal apoptosis and expression of apoptosis-related proteins in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury*★

BACKGROUND： Studies have shown that the Rubus parvifolius L. （RP） plant extract exhibits protective effects on cerebral ischemia. This effect is reflected in altered ischemic neuronal apoptosis and associated protein expression.
OBJECTIVE： To explore the neuroprotective mechanism of RP after cerebral ischemia injury.
DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Randomized control experiment of cellular, molecular, and protein levels. The experiment was completed at Chongqing Medical University at the School of Pharmacy Laboratories and Basic Medical Institute from October 2005 to January 2006.
MATERIALS： Twenty-four adult, male, Wistar rats, weighing （28 ± 20） g. RP extract, which was a product of ethanol extraction, was provided by the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Chongqing Medical University. RP was dissolved in distilled water to a concentration of 10 mg/mL. All rats were randomly assigned into four groups： 5 g/kg RP, 10 g/kg RP, model, and sham-surgery, with 6 rats in each group.
METHODS： In the 5 and 10 g/kg RP groups, as well as the model group, the middle cerebral artery was occluded （MCAO） for 60 minutes, resulting in focal cerebral ischemia, followed by reperfusion for 24 hours. Rats in the 5 and 10 g/kg RP groups received 5 and 10 g/kg RP, respectively. The RP treatment group received RP intragastrically （once a day） for 3 days. One hour after the last dose, rats were subjected to MCAO. The same surgical procedure was performed in the sham-surgery group, except the suture was introduced into the external carotid artery, but not advanced. Rats in the model group were subjected to MCAO. The sham-surgery and model groups received intragastrically administered normal saline once per day for 3 days. One hour after the last dose, the rats were subjected to surgery.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： TUNEL labeling and immunohistochemical methods were used to investigate changes in neuronal apoptosis and expression of the apoptosis-related proteins, Bax and Bcl-2, on the ischemic hemisphere     

Effect of pre-ischemia on hypoxia-inducible factor expression in the brain tissue of rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) can lead to the adaptative reaction of body for hypoxia and ischemia. HIF-1 plays an important role in the response of ischemia-hypoxia. At present, there has been no overall report on the significance for the expression of HIF-1 following experimental cerebral ischemia. OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of HIF-1 after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by immunohistochemical method. DESIGN: Completely randomly grouped controlled animal experiment. SETTING: Second Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University. MATERIALS: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley healthy male rats, with body mass of 250–330 g, were used in this study. Thirty-six rats were randomized into 3 groups: pre-ischemia group, sham-operation group and control group, with 12 rats in each. METHODS: This study was carried out in the clinical laboratory, People's Hospital of Ningjin County of Shandong Province from March 2006 to January 2007. Rats in the pre-ischemia group were created into pre-ischemia models by two embolisms twice. Three days after ischemic preconditioning, middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded for 2 hours with the same method. After being perfused for 22 hours, the rats were euthanized. In the sham-operation group, rats were not given the treatment of pre-ischemia. In the first operation, only common carotid artery (CCA) and its crotch were exposed in the first operation, and MCA was not blocked by inserting embolism. At postoperative 3 days, rats were euthanized after being subjected to MCAO for 2 hours and reperfusion 22 hours by the same procedure as that in the pre-ischemia group. As for each rat in the control group, only CCA and its crotch were exposed, and no any other treatment was carried out on them. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Brain tissue of each rat was performed immunohistochemical staining at reperfusion 22 hours after pre-ischemia, HIF-1 expression and brain infarct volume were detected. RESULTS: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were involved in the experiment. During the experiment, 8 rats dropped out, and another 8 rats were supplemented. The infarct volume of rats in the pre-ischemia group was significantly smaller than that in the sham-operation group （t =3.22, P < 0.01）. HIF-1 expression was not found in the control group, but many HIF-1 positive cells were found in the other two groups. Absorbance in the pre-ischemia group was significantly higher than that in the sham-operation group (t =4.31, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Slight ischemia caused preconditioning can increase HIF-1 content, and it is one of protective mechanisms for nerve cells.     

Dynamic changes in fibrinogen levels of patients with acute cerebral infarction after taking defibrase*☆

BACKGROUND： At present, as a therapeutic drug mainly for reducing fibrinogen （FIB） levels, the dynamic influence of defibrase on the FIB levels of patients with acute cerebral infarction has not been clearly ascertained. OBJECTIVE： To observe the dynamic changes in FIB levels of patients with acute cerebral infarction at different time points after taking defibrase. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Randomized controlled clinical trial. The study was conducted in the Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, from June to November 2006. PARTICIPANTS： Sixty patients with acute cerebral infarction, who had been treated by the Neurological Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from June to November 2006, were selected, including 37 males and 23 females, aged 35-75 years. All cases met the diagnostic criteria formulated by the Fourth National Cerebrovascular Disease Conference within 12 hours of onset. All the patients were confirmed with definite hemiparesis and cerebral infarction without coma, and were randomly divided into two groups： a treatment group （n =40） and a control group （n =20）. Patients＇ families had the right to be informed and agree with the treatment, which had permission from the Hospital Ethics Committee. METHODS： Patients in the control group were given routine treatment with 30 mL fleabane and 0.75 g cytidine diphosphate added to 500 mL saline solution once a day for 14 consecutive days. Patients in the treatment group were given routine treatment and Haiwang defibrase injection （purchased from Changchu Guoao Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Approval document number H10983237） within 12 hours of infarction. Defibrase doses of 15, 12.5 and 10 U were given over 2 hours according to the patients＇ pre-treatment plasma FIB levels of ≥ 4.50 g/L, 3.50 4.49 g/L and 1.00 3.49 g/L, respectively. Plasma FIB levels in the treatment group were measured before, and once every six hours for 48 hours after administration of defib     

早年创伤对认知功能影响的研究进展

早年创伤是一个全球普遍存在的问题,严重影响儿童、青少年的大脑发育,继而导致认知功能、人格水平、社会行为的改变。早年创伤主要是父母、监护人或其他年长者对孩子施加躯体虐待、躯体忽视、情感虐待、情感忽视或性虐待。美国一项调查显示：儿童虐待事件的发生率高达1．2％[1]。早年创伤影响认知功能的多个领域,包括学习／工作记忆、视觉空间能力、执行功能、言语智能、复杂推理搜决策、学业表现等比]。创伤造成的认知功能改变是目前国内外神经科学和精神医学领域研究的热点,但其发病机制仍不明确,鉴于早年创伤与认知功能的关系问题,现就早年创伤对大脑发育、神经认知的影响加以综述。     

Effect of Ganoderma lucidum spore on expression of insulin-like growth factor-1, nuclear factor-kappa B, and neuronal apoptosis in the epileptic rat brain*★

BACKGROUND：It has been reported that Ganoderma lucidum spore powder, a very well known Chinese traditional medicine, can affect immunoregulation, free radical scavenging, and anti-hypoxia responses. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the effect of Ganoderma lucidum spore powder on expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 （IGF-1）, nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） and neuronal apoptosis in rats with pentylenetetrazol （PTZ）-induced epilepsy. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A cellular and molecular biology experiment with randomized controlled study design was performed at the Central Laboratory of Basic Medical College of Jiamusi University from June to August 2005. MATERIALS： Thirty healthy, adult, male, Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups （10 rats per group）： control, epilepsy model, and Ganoderma lucidum spore powder. A sub-eclampsia PTZ dose （35 mg/kg） was intraperitoneally injected to induce epilepsy in the latter two groups. Wild Ganoderma lucidum spore powder （30 g/L） was provided by the wild Ganoderma lucidum plant nursery at Jiamusi, China. Immunohistochemical detection and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediate dUTP nick end-labeling （TUNEL） kits were purchased from Wuhan Boster Biological Technology Co., Ltd., China. METHODS： Ganoderma lucidum spore powder was intragastrically administered at a dose of 10.0 mL/kg, once a day for 28 days. In the epilepsy and control groups, an equivalent volume of normal saline was intragastrically administered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Immunoreactivity for IGF-1 and NF-κB/P65 were detected by immunohistochemical staining. Neuronal apoptosis was detected using TUNEL methods. RESULTS： The hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats with PTZ-induced epilepsy exhibited a higher number of apoptotic cells at high magnification （×400）, compared with the control group. Expression of IGF-1 and NF-κB were higher in the epilepsy group, compared with the control group （P 〈 0.01）. In Ganoderma lucidum spore-treated rats,     

Differential cognitive responses to guqin music and piano music in Chinese subjects： an event-related potential study

Objective To compare the cognitive effects of guqin （the oldest Chinese instrument） music and piano music. Methods Behavioral and event-related potential （ERP） data in a standard two-stimulus auditory oddball task were recorded and analyzed. Results This study replicated the previous results of culture-familiar music effect on Chinese subjects： the greater P300 amplitude in frontal areas in a culture-familiar music environment. At the same time, the difference between guqin music and piano music was observed in NI and later positive complex （LPC： including P300 and P500）： a relatively higher participation of right anterior-temporal areas in Chinese subjects. Conclusion The results suggest that the special features of ERP responses to guqin music are the outcome of Chinese tonal language environments given the similarity between Guqin＇s tones and Mandarin lexical tones.     

Chaotic electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus – mossy fiber sprouting, epileptic seizures, and brain electrical activity in pentylenetetrazol-kindled rats★

BACKGROUND： Previous studies have demonstrated that appropriate interventions can alter brain electrical activity of epileptic patients prior to and during a seizure, leading to maintenance of a highly chaotic state, thereby inhibiting abnormal epileptic discharges, and eventually controlling epileptic seizure. OBJECTIVE： This study was designed to observe the effects of chaotic electrical stimulation to the subthalamic nucleus on mossy fiber sprouting, epileptic seizures, and electrical discharges, and to summarize the most suitable intervention. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： This randomized grouping, neuroelectrophysiological study was performed at the Laboratory of Neurology, Union Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University in September 2007. MATERIALS： Fifty-five healthy, male, Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to an epileptic model by an intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazol. The YC-2 programmed electrical stimulator was provided by Chengdu Instrument Factory, China; the video electroencephalographic system （KT-88-2400） and 24-hour active electroencephalographic system were products of Contec Medical System Co., Ltd., China; pentylenetetrazol was purchased from Sigma, USA. METHODS： The present interventional method consisted of electrical stimulation to the subthalamic nucleus with an intensity of 500 μA, pulse width 0.05 ms, frequency 30 Hz, and a duration of 20 minutes for 14 successive days. Fifty-five rats were divided into 6 groups： （1） pre-stimulation （n = 10）, pentylenetetrazol was administered and 30 minutes later, chaotic electrical stimulation was performed; （2） synchronous stimulation （n = 10）, rats received pentylenetetrazol and chaotic electrical stimulation concurrently; （3） post-administration stimulation （n = 10）, after pentylenetetrazol administration, chaotic electrical stimulation was performed immediately after cessation of a seizure; （4） sham-stimulation （n = 10）, following pentylenetetrazol administration, an electrode was con     

氧化应激与认知功能障碍的研究进展

氧化应激（Oxidative Stress）不仅在糖尿病、高血压病等身心疾病中起着重要作用,而且对阿尔茨海默病（AlzheimerDisease,AD）、帕金森病（Parkin-son Disease,PD）等神经精神障碍的认知功能也有一定影响。强烈或持续性的氧化应激可通过诱导细胞凋亡和炎性反应导致细胞、组织损害。流行病学及动物研究均表明,母孕期遭受应激可能会影响胎儿的神经心理发育过程,造成胎儿大脑某区域的缺陷,引起持续性认知改变、神经内分泌和行为反应,增加后代精神疾病的患病风险。现对氧化应激与认知功能障碍的机制进行综述。     

Brain network markers of abnormal cerebral glucose metabolism and blood flow in Parkinson＇s disease

Neuroimaging of cerebral glucose metabolism and blood flow is ideally suited to assay widely-distributed brain circuits as a result of local molecular events and behavioral modulation in the central nervous system. With the progress in novel analytical methodology, this endeavor has succeeded in unraveling the mechanisms underlying a wide spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, statistical brain mapping studies have made significant strides in describing the pathophysiology of Parkinson＇s disease （PD） and related disorders by providing signature biomarkers to determine the systemic abnormalities in brain function and evaluate disease progression, therapeutic responses, and clinical correlates in patients. In this article, we review the relevant clinical applications in patients in relation to healthy volunteers with a focus on the generation of unique spatial covariance patterns associated with the motor and cognitive symptoms underlying PD. These characteristic biomarkers can be potentially used not only to improve patient recruitment but also to predict outcomes in clinical trials.     

Intrathecal MK-801 inhibits formalin-induced activation of spinal p38-MAPK in rats**★

BACKGROUND： p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） plays an instrumental role in signal transduction from the cell surface to the nucleus, while subcutaneous injection of formalin can induce increased activation of spinal p38 MAPK. However, the mechanisms underlying the formalin-induced activation of spinal p38 MAPK in rats are unclear. OBJECTIVE： To observe the effects of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid （NMDA） receptor antagonist MK-801 on the formalin-induced activation of spinal p38 MAPK in rats. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： This randomized grouping, controlled animal experiment was performed at the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Shanxi Medical University between May and November 2007. MATERIALS： Forty eight healthy, adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups： formalin ＋ normal saline （n = 12） and formalin ＋ MK-801 （n = 36）. The formalin ＋ MK-801 group was further divided into three subgroups according to the dosage of MK-801 （10, 50, and 100 nmol/L, 12 rats for each subgroup） METHODS： Following anesthesia, polyethylene tubing filled with sterile normal saline was implanted into the subarachnoid cavity. On postoperative days 5-8, rats received a 15 minute perfusion of normal saline or MK-801 （10, 50, and 100 nmol/L） in the formalin ＋ normal saline and formalin ＋ MK-801 groups, respectively, followed by formalin injection for the induction of nociceptive behavior. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Detection of total p38 MAPK and of phosphorylated p38 MAPK by western Blot analysis; observation of nociceptive behaviors in the 1 hour after formalin injection. RESULTS： Western Blot analysis revealed that injection of formalin had no effect on total p38 MAPK expression but resulted in increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in the spinal cord. This increase was apparent after 5 minutes, peaked at 20 minutes, and thereafter descended and reached control levels after 45 minutes. Pretreatment with MK-801 （10, 50, 100 nmol/L） resulted in a dose-dependent reduc     

Effects of acrous gramineus and its component, alpha-asarone, on apoptosis of hippocampal neurons after seizure in immature rats**☆

BACKGROUND： α-asarone and acrous gramineus have been shown to play a necessary function in enhancing the reactivity and convulsant threshold to electric stimulation of immature rats. They have also been shown to effectively suppress epileptic seizures induced by pentylenetetrazol in young rats. However, the mechanisms for these roles have been still unclear. OBJECTIVE： To observe the effects in immature rats of acrous gramineus and α -asarone on apoptosis of hippocampal neurons after epileptic seizure at the protein level, and to analyze the mechanism for these effects. DESIGN： A randomized controlled animal experiment. SETTINGS： Department of Pediatrics, First Hospital of Jilin University; Department of Histology and Embryology, Norman Bethune Medical School of Jilin University; Department of Internal Medicine, Children＇s Hospital of Changchun City; Department of Neurology, First Clinical Hospital affiliated to Harbin Medical University. MATERIALS： Fifty 3-week old Wistar rats, 34-40 g, irrespective of gender, were provided by Gaoxin Research Center of Medical Animal Experiment, Changchun. The animals were treated according to the animal ethical standards. The following chemicals were used for this study： acrous gramineus powders or infusion （Batch No, 0307113, Tianjiang Medicine Company Limited, Jiangyin）, α-asarone tablets （Batch No. 030219, Tianwei Pharmaceutical Factory, Shenyang）, and phenobarbital sodium tablets （Batch No. 020608, Xinya Medicine Company Limited, Shanghai）. The animals were divided into five groups randomly. First, ten rats were chosen as the normal controls. The remaining rats were treated with i.p. injections of pentylenetetrazol to stimulate an epileptic model. METHODS： The experiments were performed at the Neurological Laboratory of the First Hospital of Jilin University between October and December 2004. The rats were treated with i.p. injections of pentylenetetrazol （60 mg/kg） to establish an epileptic model. According to Racine＇ s standard, animal     

Effect of propofol on glutamate-induced activation and related inflammatory cytokines of astrocytes from spinal cord dorsal horn★

BACKGROUND： Astrocytes participate in central nervous system-mediated physiological or pathological processes, such as pain. Activated dorsal horn astrocytes from the spinal cord produce nerve active substances and proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-lbeta （IL-1 β ）, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor- α （TNF-α ）, which play important roles in pain transduction and regulation. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the effects of different doses of propofol on activation of cultured spinal cord dorsal horn astrocytes induced by glutamate, as well as changes in IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF- α, and 1L-10 （anti-inflammatory cytokine） expression in rats, and to explore the dose relationship of propofol. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The cellular and molecular biology experiment was performed at the Central Laboratory of Yunyang Medical College between March 2006 and December 2007. MATERIALS： Forty healthy, Wistar rats, aged 2-3 days, were selected. Propofol was provided by Zeneca, UK; glutamate by Sigma, USA; EPICS XL flow cytometry by Beckman culture, USA; rabbit-anti-mouse glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） antibody kit and inflammatory cytokine detection kit were provided by Zhongshan Biotechnology Company Ltd., Beijing; multimedia color pathologic image analysis system was a product of Nikon, Japan. METHODS： Astrocytes were harvested from T11- L6 spinal cord dorsal horn of Wistar rats and incubated for 3 weeks. The cells were divided into seven groups, according to various treatment conditions： control group was cells cultured in Hank＇s buffered saline solution; intralipid group was cells cultured in intralipid （0.2 mL/L）; glutamate group was cells cultured with 100 u mol/L glutamate; propofol group was cells cultured with 250 u mol/L propofol; three glutamate plus propofol groups were cultured in 100 11 mol/L of glutamate, followed by 5, 25, and 250 u mol/L of propofol 10 minutes later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： GFAP-labeled astrocytes were analyzed using a multimedia pathology imaging a