High-frequency versus theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of poststroke cognitive impairment in humans

BackgroundBecause the reliability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in treating poststroke cognitive impairment has not been convincingly demonstrated, we systematically examined the effectiveness of this regimen with 2 protocols.MethodsWe randomly allocated 41 patients with poststroke cognitive impairment to receive 5 Hz rTMS (n = 11), intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS; n = 15) or sham stimulation (n = 15). Each group received 10 stimulation sessions over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We performed the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline and after the intervention.ResultsThe 5 Hz rTMS group showed significantly greater improvement than the sham group in RBANS total score (p = 0.006), attention (p = 0.001) and delayed memory (p < 0.001). The iTBS group showed significantly greater improvement than the sham group in RBANS total score (p = 0.005) and delayed memory (p = 0.007). The 5 Hz rTMS group exhibited a superior modulating effect in attention compared to the iTBS group (p = 0.016). Patients without comorbid hypertension (p = 0.008) were predisposed to favourable therapeutic outcomes.LimitationsAlthough we included only patients with left hemispheric stroke, heterogeneity associated with cortical and subcortical implications existed. We did not investigate the remote effects of rTMS.ConclusionOur results demonstrated that both 5 Hz rTMS and iTBS were effective for poststroke cognitive impairment in terms of global cognition, attention and memory function; the domain of attention was susceptible to 5 Hz modulation. Treatment with 5 Hz rTMS may slow cognitive decline, representing both a pivotal process in poststroke cognitive impairment and an aspect of neuroplasticity that contributes to disease-modifying strategies.Clinical trial registration{"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02006615","term_id":"NCT02006615"}}NCT02006615; clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/{"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02006615","term_id":"NCT02006615"}}NCT02006615.     

Tumor-associated macrophage-induced invasion and angiogenesis of human basal cell carcinoma cells by cyclooxygenase-2 induction

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are associated with invasion, angiogenesis, and poor prognosis in many human cancers. However, the role of TAMs in human basal cell carcinoma (BCC) remains elusive. We found that the number of TAMs infiltrating the tumor is correlated with the depth of invasion, microvessel density, and COX-2 expression in human BCC cells. TAMs also aggregate near COX-2 expressing BCC tumor nests. We hypothesize that TAMs might activate COX-2 in BCC cells and subsequently increase their invasion and angiogenesis. TAMs are a kind of M2 macrophage derived from macrophages exposed to Th2 cytokines. M2-polarized macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes were cocultured with BCC cells without direct contact. Coculture with the M2 macrophages induced COX-2-dependent invasion and angiogenesis of BCC cells. Human THP-1 cell line cells, after treated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), differentiated to macrophages with M2 functional profiles. Coculture with PMA-treated THP-1 macrophages induced COX-2-dependent release of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and subsequent increased invasion of BCC cells. Macrophages also induced COX-2-dependent secretion of basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor-A, and increased angiogenesis in BCC cells.     

Finite element and Weibull analyses to estimate failure risks in the ceramic endocrown and classical crown for endodontically treated maxillary premolar

Lin C-L, Chang Y-H, Chang C-Y, Pai C-A, Huang S-F. Finite element and Weibull analyses to estimate failure risks in the ceramic endocrown and classical crown for endodontically treated maxillary premolar. Eur J Oral Sci 2010; 118: 87–93. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Eur J Oral Sci
The present study evaluated the failure risks of an endodontically treated premolar with severely damaged coronal hard tissue and restored with either a computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) ceramic endocrown or a classical crown configuration. Two, three-dimensional finite element maxillary premolar models were designed with endodontic treatment and restored with either a chairside economic reconstruction of esthetic ceramic (CEREC) ceramic endocrown or a classical crown. The Weibull function was incorporated with finite element analysis to calculate the long-term failure probability relative to different load conditions. Additionally, an in vitro fatigue-load fracture experiment was performed to validate the numerical simulation results. The results indicated that the stress values on the dentin and luting cement for the endocrown restoration were lower than those for the crown configuration. Weibull analysis revealed that the individual failure probability in the endocrown dentin and luting cement diminished more than those for the crown restoration. While the overall failure probabilities for the endocrown and the classical crown were similar, fatigue fracture testing revealed that the endocrown restoration had higher fracture resistance than the classical crown configuration (1,446 vs. 1,163 MPa). This investigation implies that the endocrown can be considered as a conservative, aesthetic, and clinically feasible restorative approach for endodontically treated maxillary premolars.