Post-injury regeneration in rat sciatic nerve facilitated by neurotrophic factors secreted by amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells.

Amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to secrete neurotrophic factors that are able to promote neuron survival in vitro. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of neurotrophic factors secreted by rat amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells on regeneration of sciatic nerve after crush injury. Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250-300 g were used. The left sciatic nerve was crushed with a vessel clamp. Rat amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells embedded in fibrin glue were delivered to the injured nerve. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunocytochemistry were used to detect neurotrophic factors secreted by the amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells. Nerve regeneration was assessed by motor function, electrophysiology, histology, and immunocytochemistry studies. Positive CD29/44, and negative CD11b/45, as well as high levels of expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glia cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), nerve growth factor, and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) were demonstrated in amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells. Motor function recovery, the compound muscle action potential, and nerve conduction latency showed significant improvement in rats treated with amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells. ELISA measurement in retrieved nerves displayed statistically significant elevation of CNTF and NT-3. The immunocytochemical studies demonstrated positive staining for NT-3 and CNTF in transplanted cells. The histology and immunocytochemistry studies revealed less fibrosis and a high level of expression of S-100 and glial fibrillary acid protein at the crush site. Rat amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells may facilitate regeneration in the sciatic nerve after crush injury. The increased nerve regeneration found in this study may be due to the neurotrophic factors secreted by amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells.     

Neuroprotective effect of estrogen after chronic spinal cord injury in ovariectomized rats

BACKGROUND: At present, there is still lack of effective drugs for chronic spinal cord injury, whereas it is found recently that estrogen has a neuroprotective effect on brain and spinal cord injuries. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of estrogen on the apoptosis of nerve cells after gradual chronic spinal cord injury in ovariectomized rats. DESIGN: A randomized controlled animal trial. SETTING: Institute of Orthopaedics, the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University. MATERIALS: Sixty-five female Wistar rats of common degree, weighing 220–250 g, were provided by the experimental animal center of Lanzhou University. The rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group (n =5), estrogen-treated group (n =30) and saline control group (n =30), and the latter two groups were observed at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 60 days respectively, and 5 rats for each time point. METHODS: All the rats were treated with bilateral oophorectomy 2 weeks before the experiment. T10 vertebral lamina was revolved into using plastic screw. The spinal canal impingement was not induced initially. After that, the original incision was opened to expose the screw every 7–10 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The apoptosis and Caspase-3 positive cells in the damaged spinal cord were detected using terminal deoxynucleotidal transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method and Caspase-3 immunohistochemical staining at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 60 days after chronic spinal cord injury respectively. RESULTS: Totally 65 rats were used, and the deleted ones during the experiment were supplemented by others. Changes of Caspase-3 expression after spinal cord injury: In the sham-operated group, only a small amount of Caspase-3 proteins were observed in the rat spinal cord, mainly located in motor neurons of spinal cord anterior horn. In the estrogen-treated group and saline control group, positive cells expressed occasionally at 1 day postoperatively, began to increase obviously at 7 days after injury, strongly expressed at 14 and 28 days, but decreased at 60 days, mainly located in the neurons of spinal cord gray matter anterior horn, and they expressed fewer in the motor neurons and white matter of ventral horn, and there were obvious differences between the estrogen-treated group and saline control group at 7, 14, 28 and 60 days (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Estrogen can reduce the apoptosis of nerve cells and promote the recovery of neurological function following gradual chronic spinal cord injury.     

Elevated concentrations of CRF in the locus coeruleus of depressed subjects.

Research evidence that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays a role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) has accumulated over the past 20 years. The elevation of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of CRF decreased responsiveness of pituitary CRF receptors to challenge with synthetic CRF, and increased levels of serum cortisol in MDD subjects support the hypothesis that CRF is chronically hypersecreted in at least the endocrine circuits of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and may also involve other CRF brain circuits mediating emotional responses and/or arousal. One such circuit includes the excitatory CRF input to the locus coeruleus (LC), the major source of norepinephrine in the brain. Furthermore, there are now reports of decreased levels of CRF in lumbar CSF from MDD patients after symptom relief from chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs or electroconvulsive therapy. Whether this normalization reflects therapeutic effects on both endocrine- and limbic-associated CRF circuits has not yet been effectively addressed. In this brief report, we describe increased concentrations of CRF-like immunoreactivity in micropunches of post-mortem LC from subjects with MDD symptoms as established by retrospective psychiatric diagnosis compared to nondepressed subjects matched for age and sex.     

SPECT对老年人缺血性脑血管病诊断价值的探讨

本文对21例老年人缺血性脑血管病患者进行SPECT检查,并对SPECT对老年人缺血性脑血管病的诊断价值进行探讨。结果发现SPECT诊断老年人缺血性脑血管病的阳性率为95%,明显高于头颅CT。     

夹竹桃甙对Na~+、K~+-ATP酶抑制的动力学研究

本文对夹竹桃甙抑制Na~+、K~+-ATP酶的动力学作了探讨,并与乌本甙的作用进行了比较。结果表明:夹竹桃甙抑制Na~+、K~+-ATP酶,在Na~+、K~+浓度改变对均为非竞争性抑制,Na~+/K~+比例6:1时,为混合性抑制,而ATP对夹竹桃甙的作用几无影响。     

Hepatitis B and Delta virus infection among heterosexuals,homosexuals and bisexual men

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis Delta virus (HDV) infection rates were estimated in patients attending a venereal disease outpatient clinic: 759 heterosexuals and 154 homosexual-bisexual men. The anti-HBC prevalence was higher in homo-bisexual men (68.8 per 100) than in heterosexuals (41.8 per 100), whereas HBsAg was roughly the same in the two groups (about 6 per 100). The anti-HBc prevalence rate among heterosexuals was higher than that estimated in hospital personnel from the same geographical area. A positive association between anti-HBc prevalence and present or past sexually transmitted diseases (STD) was found among homo-bisexual men. Anti-HBc was also positively associated with herpes simplex type 2 antibodies in both heterosexuals and homo-bisexual men. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that sexual behavior also plays a role in the spread of infection among heterosexuals. Ten of the 46 HBsAg-positive subjects were anti-HDV positive: 6 of the 36 heterosexuals and 4 of the 10 homosexuals. All HDV-positive subjects had present or past STDs. These findings suggest sexual transmission of HDV infection.     

高海拔地区脑瘫病因及类型分析

本文通过对１２０例脑瘫患儿病因及临床分型的分析，可以看出脑瘫发病的主要因素以新生儿窒息、缺氧、核黄疸、早产儿为主；从临床分开来看，脑瘫以痉挛型多见，其次为手足徐动型和肌无力型；关于脑瘫的诊治，强调早诊断、早治疗，同时撮加强围产期保健及提高产科接生技术，可以预防脑瘫的发生。     

核素、多普勒和心尖搏动图反映冠心病左室舒张功能的比较——Fish判别分析

用电子计算机对核素、多普勒和心尖搏动图中的8项左室舒张功能指标进行判别分析,比较各指标与冠心病的密切程度。结果显示患者年龄和各项舒张功能指标明显不同于正常组。判别方程为:Z=0.21X_1+23.86X_2-22.88X_3-0.18X_4+2.83X_5+2.06X_6+66.86X_7+1.66X_8。临界值为42.99。判别正确率为100％。各指标的贡献率大小依次为EV/AV,1/3FF,A/E-O,PFR,DATI,EDC,IRT和1/3FFd。提示:多普勒EV/AV与冠心病的关系最为密切,核素的1/3FF次之,心尖搏动图的A/E～O亦是一个较好的指标。