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Cu-diacetyl-bis (N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) (CuATSM) has both anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities, but its therapeutic efficacy for oxidative stress has not been thoroughly investigated in acute ischemic stroke. Here, the present study was designed to assess the efficacies of CuATSM in acute ischemic stroke by comparing with the standard neuroprotective reagent edaravone. Mice were subjected to transient middle cerebral occlusion (tMCAO) for 60 min, and then intravenously administrated with CuATSM (1.5 mg/kg) or edaravone (3 mg/kg) just after the reperfusion, and examined at 1 and 3 d. Compared with the vehicle group, CuATSM treatment decreased infarct volumes and oxidative stress at 3d after tMCAO, which was further enhanced by combined CuATSM + edaravone treatment as compared with single CuATSM group, but not improve neurobehaviors. The present study demonstrated that CuATSM showed strong antioxidative and neuroprotective effects in acute ischemic stroke, which was enhanced by the combination with edaravone.

Objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal motor neuron disease. Hypoxic stress is suspected as the pathogenesis of ALS, however, no positron emission tomography (PET...

Background Telestroke network can provide rapid access to specialized treatment and improves on‐site management of acute stroke patients through the “hub‐and‐spoke” model. In the northern part of Okayama Prefecture, there has been a regional gap of stroke care due to the shortage of stroke specialists and facilities. In addition, due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), it is required to reduce the unnecessary contact with stroke patients from other hospitals. Aim We organized a novel cost‐free telestroke network with an image and video sharing for neurological diseases in the northern part of Okayama Prefecture to improve the stroke management in the area. Method We prepared the tablet device on which Skype® application was installed for each hospital and recruited the patients who visited or hospitalized in the spoke hospitals and were suspected to have some neurological diseases from April 2019 to May 2020. The patient's clinical data were recorded and analyzed. Results During the study period, 5 patients were recruited including the cases with the initial diagnosis of stroke or brain tumor. Among them, 2 cases were transferred to the hub hospital, 2 cases were transferred to other hospitals, and 1 case was treated on site under specialist's advice. Conclusion The new telestroke network system may be beneficial for acute stroke management and reducing the unnecessary patient's transfer in the rural area, especially under coexistence with COVID‐19.

Combined central and peripheral demyelination (CCPD) causes demyelination in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Anti-neurofascin 155 antibody plays an important pathogenic role in CCPD, but evidence concerning an association between this antibody and CCPD remains inconclusive. Although there have been no reports of precedent optic neuritis developing into CCPD, we herein report a Japanese man in whom optic neuritis recurred four times over nine years and who developed CCPD without positive anti-neurofascin 155 antibody. This case suggests the possibility of developing CCPD after optic nerve neuritis and the existence of an unknown antibody that induces CCPD.

Tocilizumab (TCZ; Actemra/RoActemra) is an anti-interleukin (IL)-6 receptor antibody for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune diseases and cytokine storms. The present case is a 63-year-old female well-controlled RA patient, who presented with a progressive cognitive impairment after 34 months of TCZ administration. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed leukencephalopathy with a lactic acid peak in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a decreased blood flow in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and a decreased accumulation in fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). The discontinuation of TCZ improved her cognitive function and brain MRI findings at 3 months after drug cessation. The present case suggests that TCZ may sometimes cause leukoencephalopathy after long-term administration, and thus the early discontinuation of TCZ is recommended to achieve a good prognosis.

Background Neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia such as depression and apathy in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are associated with a lower quality of life. Objective We aimed to determine the efficacy of two antidepressants and one antipathy drug in the treatment of depression and apathy in AD patients. Methods In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of sertraline (n = 11; average dose = 31.8 mg), escitalopram (n = 13; average dose = 7.3 mg), and nicergoline (n = 9; average dose = 14.5 mg) in treating depression and apathy over a period of 3 months (M).The 33 patients with AD demonstrated high Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (>5) or a high Apathy Scale (AS) (>16) scores. Results The patients receiving escitalopram treatment showed a significant improvement in GDS score from baseline (8.2±3.5) to 3 M (5.7±2.6, p = 0.04), and the patients receiving sertraline treatment showed a significant improvement in AS score from baseline (20.8±5.2) to 3 M (16.8±6.1, p = 0.05); however, no significant changes were noted in patients receiving nicergoline. Conclusion These results provide novel information on the efficacy of sertraline and escitalopram in the treatment of apathy and depression, respectively, in patients with AD.

The world is rapidly aging and facing an increase in the number of dementia patients, so it is important to detect the preclinical stage of dementia in such countries. We examined both cognitive and affective functions among cognitively normal control (n = 218), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 146), and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 305) subjects using two evaluation tools for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) [Abe's BPSD score (ABS) and mild behavioral impairment (MBI)]. BPSD were present in 12.4% (ABS) and 9.6% (MBI) of cognitively normal people, 34.9% and 32.2% in MCI subjects, and 66.2% and 51.1% in AD patients. Both ABS (§p

Background: Because dementia is an emerging problem in the world, biochemical markers of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and radio-isotopic analyses are helpful for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although blood sample is more feasible and plausible than CSF or radiological biomarkers for screening potential AD, measurements of serum amyloid- β (Aβ), plasma tau, and serum antibodies for Aβ1 - 42 are not yet well established. Objective: We aimed to identify a new serum biomarker to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD in comparison to cognitively healthy control by a new peptidome technology. Methods: With only 1.5μl of serum, we examined a new target plate “BLOTCHIP®” plus a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) to discriminate control (n = 100), MCI (n = 60), and AD (n = 99). In some subjects, cognitive Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were compared to positron emission tomography (PET) with Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and the serum probability of dementia (SPD). The mother proteins of candidate serum peptides were examined in autopsied AD brains. Results: Apart from Aβ or tau, the present study discovered a new diagnostic 4-peptides-set biomarker for discriminating control, MCI, and AD with 87% of sensitivity and 65% of specificity between control and AD (***p Conclusion: The present serum biomarker set provides a new, rapid, non-invasive, highly quantitative and low-cost clinical application for dementia screening, and also suggests an alternative pathomechanism of AD for neuroinflammation and neurovascular unit damage.

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Background: Cost-effective and noninvasive methods for in vivo imaging of amyloid deposition are needed to screen Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although retinal amyloid is a possible diagnostic marker of AD, there are very few studies on in vivo retinal amyloid imaging. Objective: To examine the usefulness of in vivo imaging of retinal amyloid in AD patients. Methods: To examine amyloid deposition, 30 Japanese subjects (10 normal control (NC), 7 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 13 with AD) underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, including fundus imaging by scanning laser ophthalmoscopy before and after oral curcumin intake. Results: Retinal amyloid deposition was greater in AD than in NC subjects (*p

Objectives: Increased attention is being paid to Asian medicine in balanced total health care. We investigated the effects of mixed exercise including yoga ('Yoga-plus') among elderly individuals. Methods: A total of 385 subjects (72 males and 313 females, 75.5 ± 8.7 years old) participated in a 12-month (M) exercise program at a health and welfare center, a day service center, and a nursing home. Cognitive, affective, and physical functions, and activities of daily living (ADL), were compared at baseline (0M), 6M and 12M of exercise intervention. Results: Mean scores on the frontal assessment battery, clock drawing test, cube copying test, letter fluency, and category fluency significantly improved after the Yoga-plus intervention, while mini-mental state examination, Hasegawa dementia score-revised, and trail-making test performance were relatively stable. Affective scores on the geriatric depression scale (GDS), apathy scale (AS) and Abe's behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were not significantly affected by exercise therapy, but subgroups with higher baseline GDS (GDS ≥ 5) and AS (AS ≥ 16) scores showed a significant improvement after intervention. One-leg standing time and 3-m timed up and go test performance significantly improved after 12M intervention. Discussion: Yoga-plus improved cognitive, affective, ADL, and physical functions in a local elderly population, particularly among below-baseline individuals, indicating the benefits of dementia prevention among elderly individuals.

Subacute myelo-optico neuropathy (SMON) patients typically suffer from sequelae that cause sleep disturbances. We sought to examine the prevalence of sleep problems among SMON patients. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey concerning sleep problems among 106 SMON patients, and 110 age- and gender-matched control participants. The prevalence of subjective insomnia (6 ≤ Athens Insomnia Scale score) was 89.6% among SMON patients, which was significantly higher than among control participants 54.4%. Sleep quality measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) revealed that the prevalence of poor sleepers (6 ≤ PSQI score) was higher among SMON patients than control participants (75.6% vs 39.6%, respectively). Subscale analyses of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder screening questionnaire revealed that scores on two items (“dreams match nocturnal behavior” and “limb movements”) were significantly higher among SMON patients than control participants. In addition, daytime sleepiness scores were significantly higher among SMON patients than control participants (4 ≤ Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores: 54.0% vs 29.0%, respectively). The current study revealed that most SMON patients suffer from insomnia with dissatisfactory sleep quality, likely due to their long-term physical sequelae. Moreover, SMON patients showed higher rates of daytime sleepiness and sleep medication intake, which could be related to reduced activity during the day, as well as insomnia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) often coexist in dementia patients in aging societies. The hallmarks of AD including amyloid-β (Aβ)/phosphorylated tau (pTau) and pathology-related events such as neural oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play critical roles in pathogenesis of AD with CCH. A large number of lessons from failures of drugs targeting a single target or pathway on this so complicated disease indicate that disease-modifying therapies targeting multiple key pathways hold potent potential in therapy of the disease. In the present study, we used a novel mouse model of AD with CCH to investigate a potential therapeutic effect of a free radical scavenger, Edaravone (EDA) on AD with CCH via examining motor and cognitive capacity, AD hallmarks, neural oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Compared with AD with CCH mice at 12 months of age, EDA significantly improved motor and cognitive deficits, attenuated neuronal loss, reduced Aβ/pTau accumulation, and alleviated neural oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. These findings suggest that EDA possesses clinical and pathological benefits for AD with CCH in the present mouse model and has a potential as a therapeutic agent for AD with CCH via targeting multiple key pathways of the disease pathogenesis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the elderly is frequently accompanied by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH), which impairs the clearance of amyloid beta (Aβ) due to the dysfunction of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and accelerates the AD pathology. Since the coagulation and complement cascades are associated with BBB dysfunction and AD pathology, we investigated the expression changes of coagulation (fibrinogen alpha chain-FGA, coagulation factor XIII A chain-Factor XIIIα) and complement (plasma protease C1 inhibitor-C1-INH, Complement component 3-C3) factors in the brain of novel AD model (APP23) mice with CCH at 12 months of age. Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent analysis showed that the expressions of FGA, Factor XIIIα, C1-INH and C3 were significantly increased in cerebral neocortex, hippocampus, and thalamus of APP23 + CCH group (n = 12) as compared with wild type (WT, n = 10) and APP23 (n = 10) groups (⁎P

Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a key transcription factor that maintains oxygen homeostasis. Hypoxic stress is related to the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and impaired HIF-1α induces motor neuron degeneration in ALS. Dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) upregulates the stability of HIF-1α expression and shows neuroprotective effects, but has not been used in ALS as an anti-hypoxic stress treatment. In the present study, we investigated hypoxic stress in ALS model mice bearing G93A-human Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase by in vivo HIF-1α imaging, and treated the ALS mice with DMOG. In vivo HIF-1α imaging analysis showed enhanced hypoxic stress in both the spinal cord and muscles of lower limbs of ALS mice, even at the pre-symptomatic stage. HIF-1α expression decreased as the disease progressed until 126 days of age. DMOG treatment significantly ameliorated the decrease in HIF-1α expression, the degeneration of both spinal motor neurons and myofibers in lower limbs, gliosis and apoptosis in the spinal cord. This was accompanied by prolonged survival. The present study suggests that in vivo bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) HIF-1α imaging is useful for evaluating hypoxic stress in ALS, and that the enhancement of HIF-1α is a therapeutic target for ALS patients.

BACKGROUND: Multiple pathogeneses are involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as amyloid-β accumulation, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress. The pathological impact of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion on Alzheimer's disease is still poorly understood. METHODS: APP23 mice were implanted to bilateral common carotid arteries stenosis with ameroid constrictors for slowly progressive chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH). The effects of the administration of Twendee X (TwX) were evaluated by behavioral analysis, immunohistochemical analysis, and immunofluorescent histochemistry. RESULTS: In the present study, chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, which is commonly found in aged Alzheimer's disease, significantly exacerbated motor dysfunction of APP23 mice from 5 months and cognitive deficit from 8 months of age, as well as neuronal loss, extracellular amyloid-β plaque and intracellular oligomer formations, and amyloid angiopathy at 12 months. Severe upregulations of oxidative markers and inflammatory markers were found in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus at 12 months. Twendee X treatment (20 mg/kg/d, from 4.5 to 12 months) substantially rescued the cognitive deficit and reduced the above amyloid-β pathology and neuronal loss, alleviated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggested a potential therapeutic benefit of Twendee X for Alzheimer's disease with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.

Cerebral neuroinflammation defines a novel pathway for progressing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. We investigated immunohistological changes of neuroinflammation with nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NLR)-protein 3 (NLRP3), activated caspase-1 and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in a novel AD (APP23) mice with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) model from 4 months (M) of age, moreover, examined protective effect of galantamine. CCH strongly enhanced NLRP3, activated caspase-1 and IL-1β expressions in hippocampus and thalamus at age 12 M of AD mice. CCH also exaggerated amyloid-beta (Aβ) 40 depositions in cerebral cortex. Furthermore, CCH exacerbated a marked dissociation of neurovascular unit (NVU). These pathological changes were ameliorated by galantamine treatment. The present study demonstrated that CCH strongly enhanced primary AD pathology including neuroinflammation, Aβ accumulations and NVU dissociation in AD mice, which was greatly protected by an allosterically potentiating ligand galantamine.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia and a progressive neurodegenerative disorder aggravated by chronic hypoperfusion (HP). Since numerous evidence suggests that inflammation is related with AD pathology, we investigated the expression change of two anti-inflammatory markers, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 (ITIH4) and alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG), in a novel AD model (APP23) with HP at 12 month of age. As compared with wild type (WT, n = 10), immunohistochemical analysis showed a higher ITIH4 and a lower AHSG expressions in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus of the APP23 + HP group (n = 12) than the simple APP23 (n = 10) group (*p

Objective We evaluated the clinical effects of a telephone call service for psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression or apathy in subacute myelo-optico-neuropathy (SMON) patients living alone or with a single caregiver. Methods Up to 16 SMON patients (4 men, 12 women) and 32 control subjects were evaluated by the geriatric depression scale (GDS), apathy scale (AS) and state and trait anxiety inventory (STAI) forms X-I, including the P and A values for depression, apathy and state anxiety including disturbed peace of mind and enhanced anxiety, respectively, before (pre) and three months after (post) the telephone call service. Results The SMON patients, especially women, had significantly worse baseline scores in GDS (depression), AS (apathy) and STAI (state anxiety) than control subjects. The automated telephone call service significantly improved the high baseline STAI scores, including the P and A scores (disturbed peace of mind and enhanced anxiety), of SMON patients but not the GDS or AS scores. Conclusion SMON patients, especially women, living alone or with a single caregiver showed higher baseline depression, apathy and anxiety scores than the control subjects. The present automated telephone call service proved to be a useful care tool for improving the anxiety of SMON patients with high STAI P and A scores.

Here we present the first report of solitary primary peripheral nerve onset cytotoxic molecule (CM)-positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) diagnosed after nerve biopsy. An 84-year-old female with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complained of asymmetric severe tenderness in her upper limbs. The biopsy pathology revealed a direct invasion of CM-positive PTCL. When RA patients complain of numbness, tenderness, or weakness, lymphomatic peripheral nerve invasion should be considered.

Due to an increasing number of dementia patients, the development of a rapid and sensitive method for cognitive assessment is awaited. Here, we examined the usefulness of a novel and short (3 min) eye tracking device to evaluate the cognitive function of normal control (NC, n = 52), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 52), and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 70) subjects. Eye tracking total score declined significantly in MCI (**p 0.01 vs NC) and AD (**p 0.01 vs NC

We herein report a 75-year-old man who developed disturbed consciousness with polynuclear cell dominant pleocytosis and low glucose and extremely high interleukin (IL)-6 levels in his cerebrospinal fluid. The biopsy specimen from his right supraclavicular lymph node showed the infiltration of inflammatory cells positive for IgG, IgG4 and IL-6. Prednisolone and azathioprine administered under suspicion of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) or multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) successfully remitted the symptoms. However, he developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and died 18 months later. The extremely high IL-6 may have been related to the rare neurological manifestations and development of MDS in the present case.

White matter lesions (WMLs) caused by cerebral chronic hypoperfusion (CCH) may contribute to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic approaches have yet to be totally identified. In the present study, we investigated a potential therapeutic effect of the free radical scavenger edaravone (EDA) on WMLs in our previously reported novel mouse model of AD (APP23) plus CCH with motor and cognitive deficits. Relative to AD with CCH mice at 12 months (M) of age, EDA strongly improved CCH-induced WMLs in the corpus callosum of APP23 mice at 12 M by improving the disruption of white matter integrity, enhancing the proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, attenuating endothelium/astrocyte unit dysfunction, and reducing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. The present study demonstrates that the long-term administration of EDA may provide a promising therapeutic approach for WMLs in AD plus CCH disease with cognitive deficits.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive motor neuron loss. Muse cells are endogenous reparative pluripotent-like stem cells distributed in various tissues. They can selectively home to damaged sites after intravenous injection by sensing sphingosine-1-phosphate produced by damaged cells, then exert pleiotropic effects, including tissue protection and spontaneous differentiation into tissue-constituent cells. In G93A-transgenic ALS mice, intravenous injection of 5.0 × 104 cells revealed successful homing of human-Muse cells to the lumbar spinal cords, mainly at the pia-mater and underneath white matter, and exhibited glia-like morphology and GFAP expression. In contrast, such homing or differentiation were not recognized in human mesenchymal stem cells but were instead distributed mainly in the lung. Relative to the vehicle groups, the Muse group significantly improved scores in the rotarod, hanging-wire and muscle strength of lower limbs, recovered the number of motor neurons, and alleviated denervation and myofiber atrophy in lower limb muscles. These results suggest that Muse cells homed in a lesion site-dependent manner and protected the spinal cord against motor neuron death. Muse cells might also be a promising cell source for the treatment of ALS patients.

Cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL) is clinically characterized by early-onset dementia, stroke, spondylosis deformans, and alopecia. In CARASIL cases, brain magnetic resonance imaging reveals severe white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), lacunar infarctions, and microbleeds. CARASIL is caused by a homozygous mutation in high-temperature requirement A serine peptidase 1 (HTRA1). Recently, it was reported that several heterozygous mutations in HTRA1 also cause cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Although patients with heterozygous HTRA1-related CSVD (symptomatic carriers) are reported to have a milder form of CARASIL, little is known about the clinical and genetic differences between the two diseases. Given this gap in the literature, we collected clinical information on HTRA1-related CSVD from a review of the literature to help clarify the differences between symptomatic carriers and CARASIL and the features of both diseases. Forty-six symptomatic carriers and 28 patients with CARASIL were investigated. Twenty-eight mutations in symptomatic carriers and 22 mutations in CARASIL were identified. Missense mutations in symptomatic carriers are more frequently identified in the linker or loop 3 (L3)/loop D (LD) domains, which are critical sites in activating protease activity. The ages at onset of neurological symptoms/signs were significantly higher in symptomatic carriers than in CARASIL, and the frequency of characteristic extraneurological findings and confluent WMHs were significantly higher in CARASIL than in symptomatic carriers. As previously reported, heterozygous HTRA1-related CSVD has a milder clinical presentation of CARASIL. It seems that haploinsufficiency can cause CSVD among symptomatic carriers according to the several patients with heterozygous nonsense/frameshift mutations. However, the differing locations of mutations found in the two diseases indicate that distinct molecular mechanisms influence the development of CSVD in patients with HTRA1-related CSVD. These findings further support continued careful examination of the pathogenicity of mutations located outside the linker or LD/L3 domain in symptomatic carriers.

Background The free radical scavenger edaravone is a proven neuroprotective drug for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Our objective was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of edaravone for oxidative stress and anti-oxidative activity in ALS patients. Methods Twenty-two ALS patients with a disease duration of 2 years, treated by edaravone, and 25 control participants were evaluated according to their clinical scores, including ALS functional rating scale-revised (ALSFRS-R), and serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of oxidative stress dROM and anti-oxidative activity OXY. Results Serum and CSF markers of anti-oxidative activity OXY were significantly decreased in ALS patients at pre-treatment compared with controls (##p Conclusions The present study suggests significant correlations between anti-oxidative activity and ALS clinical severity, and the therapeutic efficacy of edaravone for decreased anti-oxidative activity in ALS.

Background Bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) transplantation is a promising therapeutic approach for cerebral ischemia, as it elicits multiple neuroprotective effects. However, it remains unclear how BMSC transplantation modulates the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy under cerebral ischemia. Methods In the present study, an intermediate level of cerebral ischemia (30 minutes) was chosen to examine the effect of BMSC transplantation on the molecular switch regulating UPS and autophagy. BMSC or vehicle was stereotactically injected into the penumbra 15 minutes after sham operation or transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Results Thirty minutes of tMCAO artery occlusion significantly increased TUNEL-, ubiquitin-, and p62-positive cells (which peaked at 72 hours, 2 hours, and 2 hours after reperfusion, respectively) and ratios of both BAG3/BAG1 and LC3-II/LC3-I at 24 hours after reperfusion. However, intracerebral injection of BMSCs significantly reduced infarct volume and numbers of TUNEL- and p62-positive cells, and improved BAG3/BAG1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratios. In addition, observed increases in ubiquitin-positive cells 2 hours after reperfusion were slightly suppressed by BMSC transplantation. Conclusions These data suggest a protective role of BMSC transplantation, which drove the molecular switch from autophagy to UPS in a murine model of ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke (IS) due to giant cell arteritis (GCA) is rare, but highly mortal. Here, we report a 72-year-old man who showed frequent IS with GCA. Initial therapy with prednisolone increased the frequency of IS, which disappeared after continuous multi-modal combination therapy with corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, antiplatelets, and statin. The present case was discharged with independent walk, suggesting that a multi-modal combination therapy rescued the GCA patient from frequent IS.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy are two major pathways to degrade misfolded proteins that accumulate under pathological conditions. When UPS is overloaded, the degeneration pathway may switch to autophagy to remove excessive misfolded proteins. However, it is still unclear whether and how this switch occurs during cerebral ischemia. In the present study, transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) resulted in accelerated ubiquitin-positive protein aggregation from 0.5 h of reperfusion in mice brain after 10, 30 or 60 min of tMCAO. In contrast, significant reduction of p62 and induction of LC3-II were observed, peaking at 24 h of reperfusion after 30 and 60 min tMCAO. Western blot analyses showed an increase of BAG3 and HDAC6 at 1 or 24 h of reperfusion that was dependent on the ischemic period. In contract, BAG1 decreased at 24 h of reperfusion after 10, 30 or 60 min of tMCAO after double immunofluorescent colocalization of ubiquitin, HSP70, p62 and BAG3. These data suggest that a switch from UPS to autophagy occurred between 10 and 30 min of cerebral ischemia depending on the BAG1/BAG3 ratio and level of HDAC6.