脑力苏胶囊对血管性痴呆小鼠脑组织NGF表达的影响

目的：研究脑力苏胶囊对血管性痴呆（VD）模型小鼠脑组织神经生长因子（NGF）表达的影响,以探讨脑力苏胶囊治疗VD的部分作用机理。方法：采用结扎双侧颈总动脉方法制备血管性痴呆小鼠动物模型,用酶联免疫吸附法（ELISA法）测定给药后VD小鼠脑组织内神经生长因子（NGF）的含量变化。结果：给药15 d后,VD小鼠脑内神经生长因子（NGF）较模型对照组显著增高。结论：脑力苏胶囊可增加VD大鼠脑内神经生长因子（NGF）的含量,可能与改善VD小鼠的认知功能障碍作用相关。     

脑康泰胶囊对血管性痴呆大鼠行为学的影响

目的：观察脑康泰胶囊对血管性痴呆(VD)大鼠学习记忆功能的影响，并探讨其相关机制。方法：制备VD模型，采用避暗法及水迷宫法评价脑康泰对VD模型大鼠学习记忆的影响，并用荧光分光光度法测定大鼠海马组织中5-羟色胺、多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素含量。结果：脑康泰可以明显改善VD大鼠的学习记忆功能，同时可不同程度增加VD大鼠海马组织中5-羟色胺、多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素含量。结论：脑康泰对VD大鼠学习记忆功能有一定的改善作用，其机制可能与提高脑组织中单胺类神经有关。     

脑源性神经营养因子的研究进展

近年来,科学研究发现神经营养因子是参与调控神经系统多种生理功能的一种蛋白质。其中,脑源性神经营养因子是一种在脑内合成的小分子二聚体蛋白质,对中枢系统神经元的生长、发育、分化、再生和修复具有重要作用。本文对脑源性神经营养因子的结构、功能、疾病相关性及临床应用前景进行了综述。     

肠道微生物群-肠-脑轴在神经精神系统疾病中的研究进展

肠-脑轴在维持机体内平衡方面起着重要作用，而肠道微生物群在肠道和大脑的双向沟通中扮演着重要角色，故学者们建立了肠道微生物群-肠-脑轴这一概念。肠道微生物群可通过神经、免疫、神经内分泌和代谢途径对宿主产生影响，包括神经发育、传递和行为，并参与多种神经精神系统疾病的发生发展。本文根据目前国内外的研究进展，结合本中心的临床经验，对肠道微生物群、肠道、神经系统之间的相互作用关系，肠道微生物群-肠-脑轴在神经精神系统疾病发生发展中扮演的角色，以及以肠道微生物群为神经精神系统疾病治疗靶点的肠-脑轴干预策略进行讨论，以期为神经精神系统疾病治疗提供一些新的理念和方法。     

犬尿氨酸通路在儿童神经发育障碍性疾病中的研究进展

色氨酸在体内主要通过犬尿氨酸通路（KP）代谢为血清素、褪黑素和烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸等生物活性物质,与多种器官和细胞的生理功能密切相关。KP中重要酶活性和代谢物水平的改变通过影响受体和调节细胞信号传导的方式影响儿童脑发育。该研究主要围绕KP及其代谢产物在儿童神经发育中的作用进行综述,希望为儿童神经发育障碍性疾病的协助诊断和治疗干预提供新的切入点。     

脑源性神经营养因子与抑郁症

脑源性神经营养因子(brain-derived neurotrophic factor,BDNF)是神经营养家族中的重要成员。BDNF可促进神经系统的发育,维持神经系统的功能,在各种神经的生长发育以及再生中起重要作用。近年来的研究表明,BDNF在抑郁症及其并发症的诊治中发挥重要作用。该文综述了BDNF、BDNF受体和信号转导通路在抑郁症以及糖尿病、脑卒中、产后、慢性疼痛等并发抑郁症中的研究现状。     

microRNAs在神经精神系统疾病中的研究进展

microRNAs(miRNAs)是一类内源性进化上高度保守的非编码小RNA,调节转录后基因的表达，从而参与多种生物途径。近年来的研究表明大量脑内miRNAs在中枢神经系统(CNS)发育过程中受到动态调节，能够在神经系统的发育和神经可塑性中发挥重要作用。此外，miRNAs是中枢神经系统复杂遗传网络中的关键调控因子，miRNAs异常表达和功能障碍涉及包括抑郁症、精神分裂症在内的许多神经精神疾病的病理生理过程。该文总结了miRNAs在中枢神经系统中的调控机制以及在神经精神系统疾病发病机制中的调节作用，并根据研究现状探讨了miRNAs的研究局限性以及miRNAs在神经精神系统疾病中潜在的治疗应用。     

神经干细胞与脑源性神经生长因子

神经干细胞对于损伤后的脑组织的修复、再生起着关键作用,脑源性神经生长因子对于干细胞的增殖分化起着重要作用。现有关于神经干细胞研究多为体外细胞研究,对于脑源性神经生长因子等因子对于内源性神经干细胞影响的研究较少。中医药诱导脑源性神经生长因子等其他因子增殖,进而影响神经干细胞增殖分化,可能成为一个新的研究切入点。     

如意珍宝片对血管性痴呆模型大鼠的保护作用

目的 研究如意珍宝片对血管性痴呆(VD)大鼠的保护作用。方法 采用改良双侧颈总动脉永久性结扎法制备大鼠VD模型,以Y迷宫为学习记忆评价指标,并测定VD大鼠脑内多巴胺(DA)、去甲肾上腺素(NE)、5-羟色胺(5-HT)3种单胺类神经递质水平。结果 如意珍宝片能显著的增加Y迷宫的正确次数和提高脑内3种单胺类神经递质水平。结论 如意珍宝片能提高VD大鼠学习记忆能力,升高脑内单胺类神经递质水平,从而改善大脑皮层的兴奋性,激活脑损伤后的学习记忆过程。     

神经营养因子与脑缺血的研究进展

脑缺血损伤是脑功能失调的主要原因，是一种严重危害人类身心健康的神经系统疾病。最近的研究表明脑缺血后神经营养因子(NTFS)在神经元损伤和修复过程中起着重要作用，有利于促进神经的生长、发育、再生以及突触功能的维持和递质的释放。     

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: review of a possible association

There has been growing interest in determining environmental risk factors that may play a role in the development or progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). Epidemiological evidence and data from human and animal studies have shown an association between low serum vitamin D levels and an increased incidence of MS and that supplementation with vitamin D may protect against MS development and/or disease relapses. The most appropriate vitamin D dosage for patients with MS is unclear, but investigator shave proposed that serum vitamin D concentrations between 75 and 100 nmol/L (30-40 ng/mL) are optimal to achieve favor able clinical outcomes. Vitamin D supplemented in doses up to 3000 International Units (IU) daily may be necessary to achieve these levels in many patients, and doses of 500 to 800 IU daily appear to be necessary to maintain desired serum vitamin D levels.Short-term supplementation with doses up to 40 000 IU daily has been found to be safe. However, larger and longer clinical studies are needed to assess whether a true relationship exists between serum vitamin D concentrations and MS and to determine a safe and effective amount of vitamin D supplementation.     

Role of vitamin D metabolism in cutaneous tumour formation and progression

Objectives Very limited information is available on the role of vitamin D in skin carcinogenesis. For most individuals, skin cancer can be readily managed with surgery; however, some patients may face life‐threatening neoplasia. Sun exposure, specifically UV radiation, is a causative agent for development of skin cancer, though, somewhat ironically, sunlight through the production of vitamin D may have protective effect against some skin cancers. This review focuses on the development and progression of cutaneous carcinogenesis and the role of vitamin D in the prevention of the initiation and progression of lethal skin cancers. Key findings Vitamin D is involved in regulation of multiple signalling pathways that have implications in carcinogenesis. Skin cancer metastasis depends on the tumour microenvironment, where vitamin D metabolites play a key role in prevention of certain molecular events involved in tumour progression. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a well‐known potent regulator of cellular growth and differentiation. Summary The VDR's possible involvement in cell death, tumour microenvironment and angiogenesis makes it a candidate agent for cancer regulation.     

Vitamin D Analogues Tacalcitol and Calcipotriol Inhibit Proliferation and Migration of T98G Human Glioblastoma Cells

The active form of vitamin D (1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D) acts as a steroid hormone and binds to the vitamin D receptor. This receptor is expressed in most cell types including cells in the central nervous system (CNS). Vitamin D has several functions in the body including effects on brain development, neuroprotection and immunological regulation. It has been shown that vitamin D has antiproliferative activities in different cancer cell lines. Tacalcitol and calcipotriol are synthetic analogues of 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D with reduced effect on calcium metabolism. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of tacalcitol and calcipotriol on cell viability, proliferation and migration in the human glioblastoma cell line T98G. Glioblastoma is the most lethal type of primary tumours in the CNS. Both analogues decreased cell viability and/or growth, dose‐dependently, in concentrations between 1 nM and 10 μM. Manual counting indicated suppressive effects by the vitamin D analogues on proliferation. Treatment with tacalcitol strongly suppressed thymidine incorporation, indicating that the vitamin D analogues mainly inhibit proliferation. Also, effects on cell migration were measured with wound‐healing assay. Both calcipotriol and tacalcitol reduced the migration rate of T98G cells compared to vehicle‐treated cells. However, they had no effect on caspase‐3 and ‐7 activities, suggesting that their mechanism of action does not involve induction of apoptosis. The current results indicate that the vitamin D analogues tacalcitol and calcipotriol strongly reduce proliferation and migration of human glioblastoma T98G cells, suggesting a potential role for this type of compounds in treatment of brain cancer.     

The value of physiologic vitamin D as a biomarker of dementia

Vitamin D has been investigated in association with cognitive function in healthy and multimorbid elderly patients. Whether higher physiologic concentrations of vitamin D may be neuroprotective is not yet known. Epidemiological investigations have suggested a protective effect of physiologic vitamin D concentrations (circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D) on neurocognitive dysfunction and cerebrovascular disease. Recent prospective studies have shown a beneficial association of vitamin D with a myriad of health conditions and suggest that vitamin D may be neuroprotective via vascular mechanisms. Whether vitamin D concentrations are a useful indicator for the identification and clinical management of dementia remains to be determined. On its own, physiological vitamin D status may be an important risk indicator for several comorbidities; however, further studies are required to determine if physiological vitamin D can be used as a biomarker in the clinical determination and disease management of dementia.     

Vitamin D and the central nervous system

Vitamin D is formed in human epithelial cells via photochemical synthesis and is also acquired from dietary sources. The so-called classical effect of this vitamin involves the regulation of calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. Apart from this, non-classical effects of vitamin D have recently gained renewed attention. One important yet little known of the numerous functions of vitamin D is the regulation of nervous system development and function. The neuroprotective effect of vitamin D is associated with its influence on neurotrophin production and release, neuromediator synthesis, intracellular calcium homeostasis, and prevention of oxidative damage to nervous tissue. Clinical studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency may lead to an increased risk of disease of the central nervous system (CNS), particularly schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis. Adequate intake of vitamin D during pregnancy and the neonatal period seems to be crucial in terms of prevention of these diseases.     

Therapeutic use of vitamin D and its analogues in autoimmunity

In recent years, there has been great interest in the role of vitamin D in a number of diverse human diseases including autoimmunity, allergy, infection, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, transplantation and cancer. Vitamin D is best known for its role in calcium metabolism; however it also has potent immunomodulatory effects. Epidemiological studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency may be a significant risk factor for many diseases. Furthermore, there is accumulating evidence from experimental studies that vitamin D has anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies have indicated that a surprisingly high proportion of people are vitamin D deficient, suggesting that vitamin D supplementation may be of benefit to human health. This review will focus on the role of vitamin D in autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. We will review the epidemiological and experimental evidence for the protective effects of vitamin D in autoimmunity, as well as the preliminary vitamin D intervention studies and the most recent patented vitamin D analogues.     

Immunomodulation by vitamin D: implications for TB

TB remains a major cause of mortality throughout the world. Low vitamin D status has been linked to increased risk of TB and other immune disorders. These observations suggest a role for vitamin D as a modulator of normal human immune function. This article will detail the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates the immune system and how vitamin D insufficiency may lead to immune dysregulation. The importance of vitamin D bioavailability as a mechanism for defining the immunomodulatory actions of vitamin D and its impact on TB will also be discussed. The overall aim will be to provide a fresh perspective on the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of TB.     

Immunomodulation by vitamin D: implications for TB

TB remains a major cause of mortality throughout the world. Low vitamin D status has been linked to increased risk of TB and other immune disorders. These observations suggest a role for vitamin D as a modulator of normal human immune function. This article will detail the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates the immune system and how vitamin D insufficiency may lead to immune dysregulation. The importance of vitamin D bioavailability as a mechanism for defining the immunomodulatory actions of vitamin D and its impact on TB will also be discussed. The overall aim will be to provide a fresh perspective on the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of TB.