Pangenomic Classification of Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors

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Sex Disparities in Risk of Mortality Among Children With ESRD

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Effect of lacosamide on ethanol induced conditioned place preference and withdrawal associated behavior in mice: Possible contribution of hippocampal CRMP-2

BackgroundExcessive consumption of ethanol is known to activate the mTORC1 pathway and to enhance the Collapsin Response Mediator Protein-2 (CRMP-2) levels in the limbic region of brain. The latter helps in forming microtubule assembly that is linked to drug taking or addiction-like behavior in rodents. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of lacosamide, an antiepileptic drug and a known CRMP-2 inhibitor, which binds to CRMP-2 and inhibits the formation of microtubule assembly, on ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice.MethodsThe behavior of mice following ethanol addiction and withdrawal was assessed by performing different behavioral paradigms. Mice underwent ethanol-induced CPP training with alternate dose of ethanol (2 g/kg, po) and saline (10 ml/kg, po). The effect of lacosamide on the expression of ethanol-induced CPP and on ethanol withdrawal associated anxiety and depression-like behavior was evaluated. The effect of drug on locomotor activity was also assessed and hippocampal CRMP-2 levels were measured.ResultsEthanol-induced CPP was associated with enhanced CRMP-2 levels in the hippocampus. Lacosamide significantly reduced the expression of ethanol-induced CPP and alleviated the levels of hippocampal CRMP-2 but aggravated withdrawal-associated anxiety and depression in mice.ConclusionThe present study demonstrated the beneficial effect of lacosamide in attenuation of expression of ethanol induced conditioned place preference via reduction of hippocampal CRMP-2 level. These findings suggest that lacosamide may be investigated further for ethanol addiction but not for managing withdrawal.     

Toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to THP-1 macrophages: interactions with saturated or unsaturated free fatty acids

In a biological microenvironment, free fatty acids (FFA) as ubiquitous biological molecules might interact with nanoparticles (NPs) and consequently change the toxicological responses. However, whether the chemical structures of FFA could influence their interactions with NPs remain unknown. This study investigated the interactions between ZnO NPs and saturated or unsaturated FFA (complexed to BSA), namely stearic acid (SA, C18:0), oleic acid (OA, C18:1), and α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3). It was shown that BSA, SA, OA, and ALA increased the atomic force microscope (AFM) heights as well the polydispersity index (PDI) of ZnO NPs. BSA modestly protected THP-1 macrophages from ZnO NP exposure, whereas OA and ALA led to relatively less cyto-protective effects of BSA. Moreover, only co-exposure to ZnO NPs and SA significantly promoted the release of interleukin-8. BSA, SA, OA, and ALA equally changed intracellular ROS and Zn ions associated with ZnO exposure, but co-exposure to ZnO NPs and OA/ALA particularly activated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-apoptosis genes. In combination, these results showed that FFA could influence the colloidal aspects and toxicological signaling pathway of ZnO NPs, which is dependent on the number of unsaturated bonds of FFA.     

中药穴位敷贴联合中药汤剂治疗糖尿病周围神经病变临床观察

目的探究糖尿病周围神经病变患者开展中药穴位敷贴联合中药汤剂治疗的效果。方法研究时限为2017年8月—2018年11月,研究对象为此期间收治的糖尿病周围神经病变患者42例,将其随机分为常规组(21例)、中药组(21例),分别开展常规治疗、中药穴位敷贴+中药汤剂治疗,比较治疗结果。结果2组患者治疗前中医证候积分、TCSS(多伦多临床评分)相近(P>0.05),治疗后中药组患者以上评分均较常规组具鲜明优势(P<0.05);常规组患者不良反应发生率为14.3%,与中药组0.0%相比,未见鲜明差异(P>0.05)。结论予糖尿病周围神经病变患者开展中药穴位敷贴联合中药汤剂治疗,效果安全有效。