Search

Objective To investigate the effects of ketamine on spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury (SCII) and ERK1/2 signaling pathway in rats. Methods The rats were randomly divided into sham operation group (S group), SCII group (model was established by Zivin method), low and high-dose ketamine groups (given 50 and 100 mg/kg ketamine respectively every day for 14 days),with 8 rats in each group. The hind limb movement of rats was evaluated, inflammatory factors and oxidative stress indexes of spinal cord tissue were detected. The spinal cord neurons were microscopied by Nissl staining, apoptosis rate was detected by TUNEL assay, and protein expression was detected by Western blot. Results Compared with the S group, the Tarlov score in SCII group decreased after surgery and increased gradually with time,the number of normal nerve cells in the spinal cord decreased and the apoptosis rate increased,the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, VCAM-1 and malonaldehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) was found to be increased (P＜0.05), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were significantly decreased (P＜0.05), the expression of p-ERK1/2 and the ratio of p-ERK/ERK1/2 increased(P＜0.05);Compared with SCII group, The changes of above indexes in ketamine group was reduced (P＜0.05), and was more obvious in the low dose group. Conclusions Low dose ketamine can reduce the degree of SCII, and ERK1/2 signaling pathway may be involved in this process.

Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and carcinogenesis. Detection of their expression may lead to identifying novel markers for breast cancer. Methods We profiled miRNA expression in three breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-468) and then focused on one miRNA, miR-339-5p, for its role in regulation of tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion and target gene expression. We then analyzed miR-339-5p expression in benign and cancerous breast tissue specimens. Results A number of miRNAs were differentially expressed in these cancer cell lines. Real-time PCR indicated that miR-339-5p expression was downregulated in the aggressive cell lines MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 and in breast cancer tissues compared with benign tissues. Transfection of miR-339-5p oligonucleotides reduced cancer cell growth only slightly but significantly decreased tumor cell migration and invasion capacity compared with controls. Real-time PCR analysis showed that BCL-6, a potential target gene of miR-339-5p, was downregulated in MDA-MB-231 cells by miR-339-5p transfection. Furthermore, the reduced miR-339-5p expression was associated with an increase in metastasis to lymph nodes and with high clinical stages. Kaplan-Meier analyses found that the patients with miR-339-5p expression had better overall and relapse-free survivals compared with those without miR-339-5p expression. Cox proportional hazards analyses showed that miR-339-5p expression was an independent prognostic factor for breast cancer patients. Conclusions MiR-339-5p may play an important role in breast cancer progression, suggesting that miR-339-5p should be further evaluated as a biomarker for predicting the survival of breast cancer patients.

While the survival rate of preterm infants has continually increased with the development of perinatal and neonatal monitoring techniques, the incidence of brain injury in preterm infants has been increasing, resulting in varying degrees of cognitive impairment and movement disorders. Measuring the biomarkers of brain damage is an important means to diagnose brain injury. The biomarkers can be divided into neuroglial damage markers, neuronal damage markers and other markers according to the features of injured cells. The biomarkers widely used in clinical practice include S100B protein, myelin basic protein and neuron-specific enolase. Recent studies have newly discovered a collection of markers that can suggest potential brain injury in preterm infants, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain protein, α-II spectrin breakdown products, chemokines, melatonin and urinary metabolomics. These biomarkers can contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of preterm brain injury, essential for improving neural development and prognosis. This article reviews the latest research advances in the biomarkers of preterm brain injury, in order to provide evidence for the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a clinico-radiological syndrome characterized by transient mild symptoms of encephalopathy and a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is often triggered by infection. The common pathogens of MERS are viruses, especially influenza virus. However, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M.pneumoniae) are relatively rare pathogens for MERS.Case Presentation: Here we report two paediatric cases of M.pneumoniae infection-induced MERS. The diagnosis of M.pneumoniae infection was established based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and specific serum antibodies (IgM). Both of the two patients presented with mild encephalopathy manifestations and recovered completely within a few days. The initial MRI showed a lesion in the central portion of the splenium of the corpus callosum, which completely resolved on the seventh and eighth day after admission for case 1 and case 2. Lumbar puncture was performed in both patients, which revealed no pleocytosis. In case 1, the patient had hyponatremia, peripheral facial nerve paralysis, and rash. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first MERS case associated with peripheral nerve damage. In case 2, interleukin-6(IL-6) was moderately increased in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It suggested that IL-6 may play a role in the pathogenesis of M.pneumoniae-induced MERS.Conclusion: Our study enriches the available information on the pathogens of MERS and provides valuable data for better understanding of this syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the survival rate of preterm infants has continually increased with the development of perinatal and neonatal monitoring techniques, the incidence of brain injury in preterm infants has been increasing, resulting in varying degrees of cognitive impairment and movement disorders. Measuring the biomarkers of brain damage is an important means to diagnose brain injury. The biomarkers can be divided into neuroglial damage markers, neuronal damage markers and other markers according to the features of injured cells. The biomarkers widely used in clinical practice include S100B protein, myelin basic protein and neuron-specific enolase. Recent studies have newly discovered a collection of markers that can suggest potential brain injury in preterm infants, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain protein, α-II spectrin breakdown products, chemokines, melatonin and urinary metabolomics. These biomarkers can contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of preterm brain injury, essential for improving neural development and prognosis. This article reviews the latest research advances in the biomarkers of preterm brain injury, in order to provide evidence for the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

In the central nervous system, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) exerts different actions as neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, neurotrophic and neuroprotective factors via multiple signaling pathways. PACAP plays an important protective role in the nervous system diseases, such as focal cerebral ischemia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), schizophrenia, anxiety disorders Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Now, we reviewed the research advances about the protective role of PACAP in the nervous system diseases.

Objective: Although several reports documented the association of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and left ventricular (LV) function in infants or neonates, right ventricular (RV) function in neonates with CH has not been previously studied. The aim of the present study was to assess RV function in neonates with CH before and after thyroxine substitution therapy by quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) and tissue tracking imaging (TTI)., Methods: Fifty-two neonates aged 18-28 days (25 males and 27 females) with CH and 35 healthy neonates aged 18-28 days (16 males and 19 females) were studied by QTVI, TTI as well as conventional pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography (PWD). The standard apical four-chamber view for long-axis motion of the right ventricle was used for echocardiographic evaluation. Peak systolic displacement (D), peak systolic velocity (Vs), peak early (Ve) and late (Va) diastolic velocity of tricuspid annule were measured, Ve/Va ratio was calculated as well. Transtricuspid flow velocity during early diastole (E) and late diastole (A) were also measured by pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography. PWD and E/A ratio were calculated too. For each neonate, serum hormone levels of TSH, TT(3), TT(4), FT(3) and FT(4) were measured with a standard chemiluminescent immunoassay. After 1 month of levothyroxine (L-T(4)) substitution therapy in CH neonates, all the echocardiographic evaluations and biochemical tests were re-evaluated. Correlation analysis was also made between serum thyroid hormones levels and right ventricular function., Results: The indices of right ventricular diastolic function by PWD (E and E/A ratio) in CH group were (45 +/- 10) cm/s and (0.8 +/- 0.3), respectively. Compared with controls, E and E/A ratio in CH neonates were significantly lower (P < 0.001, respectively), while A did not differ between the two groups (P > 0.05). QTVI and TTI showed that right diastolic function (Ve and Ve/Va ratio) as well as right systolic function (Vs and D) in CH group were (3.69 +/- 1.38) cm/s, (0.74 +/- 0.19) cm/s, (4.38 +/- 0.63) cm/s and (0.52 +/- 0.12) cm, respectively. CH neonates had significantly lower Ve, Ve/Va ratio, Vs and D of tricuspid annular velocity (P < 0.001, respectively), whereas there was no significant difference in Va between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 1 month of substitutive therapy, CH neonates showed a significant increase of Ve, Ve/Va ratio, Vs, D, E, and E/A ratio, (6.92 +/- 1.86) cm/s, (1.13 +/- 0.22), (5.92 +/- 1.03) cm/s, (0.78 +/- 0.17) cm, (61 +/- 10) cm/s and (1.1 +/- 0.4), respectively (P < 0.001). Those parameters were positively correlated with serum TT(3), TT(4), FT(3) and FT(4) levels (P < 0.01, respectively), and were negatively correlated with serum TSH levels (P < 0.01, respectively)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that neonates with CH are associated with right ventricular subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunction, which can be reversed by early L-T(4) substitution therapy. QTVI and TTI are valuable methods to evaluate right ventricular function in neonates. Systolic and diastolic velocities of the tricuspid annulus measured by QTVI and TTI are useful and accurate to assess RV function in neonates.

Objective: To explore the social adjustment status and affected factors thereof in Down syndrome children., Methods: The family environment, cognitive development and social adjustment were examined in 36 Down syndrome children aged 52 - 167 months, 30 mental age-matched children aged 20 - 65 months, and 40 chronological age-matched children aged 43 - 144 months with questionnaire of family influential factors, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and Infants-Junior Middle School Students' Social-Life Abilities Scale from September 2004 to July 2006. The gender and general family environment were matched among the three groups. The information about the mode of delivery, history of newborn, family structure, income of family, and parents' education could be gathered from the questionnaire (used by parents). PPVT was adopted as research tool of cognitive development. Infants-Junior Middle School Students' Social-Life Abilities Scale was adopted as research tool of social adjustment., Results: There were no differences between the Down syndrome children and mental age-matched group in communication and socialization. The Down syndrome children were better than the mental age-matched group in self-help [(20.0 +/- 4.8) vs (13.3 +/- 4.7), t = 5.72, P = 0.000]; locomotion [(7.5 +/- 1.4) vs (6.4 +/- 1. 6), t = 3.10, P = 0.003]; occupation [(8.2 +/- 2.4) vs (6.2 +/- 2.0), t = 3.68, P = 0.000], and self-direction [(5.9 +/- 2.6) vs (4.6 +/- 2.0), t = 2. 28, P = 0.026]. The chronological age-matched group were much better than the Down syndrome children in all factors of social-life abilities, including self-help [(20.0 +/- 4.8) vs (26.5 +/- 4.9), t = 5.84, P = 0.000]; locomotion [(7.5 +/- 1.4) vs (11.4 +/- 3.3), t = 6.76, P = 0.000]; occupation [(8.2 +/- 2.4) vs (14.4 +/- 3.9), t = 8.55, P = 0.000]; communication [(8.3 +/- 3.6) vs (18.3 +/- 4.8), t = 10.38, P = 0.000]; socialization [(9.6 +/- 2.3) vs (17.1 +/- 4.2), t = 9.76, P = 0.000], and self-direction [(5.9 +/- 2.6) vs (13. 8 +/- 4.6), t = 9.25, P = 0.000]. There was a relationship between the raw score of PPVT and social-life abilities in these children. Even after controlling effect of age, it was still associated with self-help (r = 0.70, P = 0.000), locomotion (r = 0.74, P = 0.000), occupation (r = 0.77, P = 0.000), communication (r = 0.86, P = 0.000), socialization (r = 0.80, P = 0.000), and self-direction (r = 0.76, P = 0.000). Multiple stepwise regression showed that the main factor influencing self-help was family structure. Family structure and mother's education influenced locomotion. Family structure and newborn history influenced occupation, communication, socialization and self-direction., Conclusion: Down syndrome children have better social adjustment than the mental age-matched group, yet worse than the chronological age-matched group. Cognition development, family environment and newborn history differently influence the Down syndrome child, which means proper intervention can improve their social adjustment.

Objective: To investigate the effects of perinatal thyroid hormone deficiency on the expression of androgen receptor (AR) mRNA in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats., Methods: Perinatal hypothyroidism was induced by the administration of propylthiouracil (PTU) solution to the dams by gavage (50 mg/d) beginning at embryonic d15 throughout the lactational period. In the T(4) injected group hypothyroid rats were injected intraperitoneally with levothroxine (L-T(4)) 2 microg/100 g BW daily, starting from the day of birth. Cerebral cortex and hippocampus specimen were collected from controls,hypothyroid and T(4)-injected hypothyroid rats on postnatal d1, 5, 10, 15 and 20. Quantification of ARmRNA in cerebral cortex and hippocampus was performed with competitive RT-PCR using internal and external standardization., Result: Age-related increasing ARmRNA levels were observed in neonatal rats, and those in male animals were significantly higher. AR expression was higher in the hippocampus than in the cerebral cortex. ARmRNA levels in the hypothyroid pups were lower than those in age-matched controls. The mRNA levels in the T(4)-injected hypothyroid pups were significantly higher compared with the age-matched hypothyroid pups, but in hippocampus ARmRNA expression did not reach normal levels in male rats at d10 and d20, in female at d15 and d20., Conclusion: The expression of ARmRNA decreases in brain of rats with perinatal hypothyroidism. Treatment with thyroid hormone can recover ARmRNA expression in cerebral cortex, but not in hippocampus.

Objective: To evaluate left the systolic and diastolic functions in neonates with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) as well as the effect of thyroxine substitution therapy on left ventricular function and its correlation with thyroid hormones serum levels., Methods: M-mode echocardiography was used to examine the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS), pulse wave Doppler was used to examine the peak early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (E(m)) and peak late diastolic mitral inflow velocity (A(m)), quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) was used to examine the systolic peak mitral annular velocity (s(m)), early diastolic peak mitral annular velocity (E(m)), and the late diastolic peak mitral annular velocity (a(m)), and tissue tracking imaging (TTI) was used to detect the systolic mitral annular displacement (MAD) in 40 neonates with congenital hypothyroidism aged 15-28 days before and after 1-month levothyroxine substitution treatment. Thirty normal neonates were used as controls. Chemiluminescent immunoassay was used to measure the TT(3), TT(4) and TSH levels. Correlation analysis was also made between the ventricular function parameters and the serum TT(3), TT(4), and TSH levels., Results: The left systolic function parameters (LVEF, s(m), MAD, E(m) and e(m)) was 0.61 +/- 0.08, 2.60 cm/s +/- 0.60 cm/s, 0.29 cm +/- 0.06 cm, 0.59 m/s +/- 0.12 m/s and 2.72 cm/s +/- 1.43 cm/s respectively, in CH group, and 0.67 +/- 0.06, 3.25 cm/s +/- 0.51 cm/s, 0.41 cm +/- 0.08 cm, 0.72 m/s +/- 0.11 m/s and 4.51 cm/s +/- 1.23 cm/s in control group (P < 0.01). Left function in CH neonates before treatment were all lower than those of the controls (P < 0.01), which significantly increase after 1-months L-T(4) substitution therapy, 0.69 +/- 0.05, 3.46 cm/s +/- 0.64 cm/s, 0.45 cm +/- 0.08 cm, 0.82 m/s +/- 0.17 m/s and 5.09 cm/s +/- 1.37 cm/s, (P < 0.01). Those parameters were positively correlated with TT(4) serum levels (P < 0.01), and were negatively correlated with TSH (all P < 0.01). In particular, MAD, sm, E(m), and em were highly correlated with serum TT(4) and TSH (r = 0.667, 0.538, 0.478, and 0.599 respectively, all P < 0.001;and r = -0.670, -0.521, -0.490, and -0.583 respectively, all P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Neonates with CH have lower left systolic and diastolic functions. Early L-T(4) substitution therapy can reverse these changes.

Objective: To evaluate left ventricular function in neonates with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and its correlation with thyroid hormones serum levels., Methods: M-mode echocardiography [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS)], pulse wave Doppler [the peak early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (Em), the peak late diastolic mitral inflow velocity (Am)], quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) [the systolic peak mitral annular velocity (sm), the early diastolic peak mitral annular velocity (em), the late diastolic peak mitral annular velocity (am)] and tissue tracking imaging (TTI) [the systolic mitral annular displacement (MAD)] were evaluated in 35 neonates with congenital hypothyroidism aged 15-28 days and 30 normal neonates in this study. Correlation analysis was also made between left ventricular function and serum TT3, TT4 and TSH levels., Results: Left systolic function parameters (LVEF, LVFS, sm and MAD) were 0.62 +/- 0.08, (28.21 +/- 5.31)%, (2.58 +/- 0.59) cm/s and (0.27 +/- 0.07) cm, respectively, in CH group, and 0.67 +/- 0.06, (31.16 +/- 4.13)%, (3.24 +/- 0.52) cm/s and (0.41 +/- 0.08) cm in control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Left diastolic function parameters (Am, Em/Am, em/am, Em and em) were (0.59 +/- 0.10) m/s, 0.98 +/- 0.18, 0.82 +/- 0.40, (0.57 +/- 0.11) m/s and (2.83 +/- 1.48) cm/s, respectively, in CH group, and (0.65 +/- 0.10) m/s, 1.14 +/- 0.20, 1.25 +/- 0.33, (0.73 +/- 0.11) m/s and (4.46 +/- 1.29) cm/s in control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). MAD, sm, Em and em in CH group were greatly lower than that in control group (P < 0.001). Left systolic function (LVEF, sm, MAD) and diastolic function (Em, Am, em, em/am) were positively correlated with TT3, TT4 serum levels (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and negatively with TT4 serum levels (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). MAD, Em and em were highly correlated with TT4, TSH serum levels (r = 0.700, r = 0.564, r = 0.593, r = 0.564, P < 0.001; r = -0.674, r = -0.521, r = -0.578, r = -0.632, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Neonates with CH have lower left systolic and diastolic function. Left ventricular function was affected by thyroid hormones. QTVI and TTI are more sensitive parameters in evaluating left ventricular function of neonates with congenital hypothyroidism than conventional echocardiography.