Inflammation, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and gliosis are involved in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Several studies provide evidence supporting the neuroprotective effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) ...therapy in TBI. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether inflammation, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and gliosis during TBI are affected by HBO2 therapy.
Rats were randomly divided into three groups: TBI + NBA (normobaric air: 21% O2 at 1 absolute atmospheres), TBI + HBO2, and Sham operation + NBA. TBI + HBO2 rats received 100% O2 at 2.0 absolute atmospheres for 1 hr/d for three consecutive days. Behavioral tests and biochemical and histologic evaluations were done 4 days after TBI onset.
TBI + NBA rats displayed: (1) motor and cognitive dysfunction; (2) cerebral infarction and apoptosis; (3) activated inflammation (evidenced by increased brain myeloperoxidase activity and higher serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α); (4) neuronal loss (evidenced by fewer NeuN-positive cells); and (5) gliosis (evidenced by more glial fibrillary protein-positive cells). In TBI + HBO2 rats, HBO2 therapy significantly reduced TBI-induced motor and cognitive dysfunction, cerebral infarction and apoptosis, activated inflammation, neuronal loss, and gliosis. In addition, HBO2 therapy stimulated angiogenesis (evidenced by more bromodeoxyuridine-positive endothelial and vascular endothelial growth factor-positive cells), neurogenesis (evidenced by more bromodeoxyuridine-NeuN double-positive and glial cells-derived neurotrophic factor-positive cells), and overproduction of interleukin-10 (an anti-inflammatory cytokine).
Collectively, these results suggest that HBO2 therapy may improve outcomes of TBI in rats by inhibiting activated inflammation and gliosis while stimulating both angiogenesis and neurogenesis in the early stage.
Post-ischemic inflammation plays an important role in the progression of ischemia/reperfusion injuries. Prothymosin-α (ProT) can protect cells from necrotic death following ischemia; however, its ...immunostimulatory actions may counteract the neuroprotective effect. We proposed that ProTΔNLS, synthesized by deleting its nuclear localizing signal (NLS) at the C-terminal of ProT, can attenuate the immunostimulatory activity and has more salient neuroprotective effect. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effects of ProT and ProTΔNLS in a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model of rats. Rats that had sustained 90 min of tMCAO were treated with GST-vehicle, ProT, or ProTΔNLS. Therapeutic outcomes were evaluated by infarction volume assay and behavioral assessment. Changes to inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Activated matrix metalloproteinases 2 (MMP-2) and 9 (MMP-9) levels were evaluated by gelatin zymography. Microglial activation was identified by double-immunostaining for Iba-1 and CD68. Our results showed that while both ProT and ProTΔNLS reduce infarction volume and improve functional outcome, ProTΔNLS provides the best therapeutic outcome. ProT increases TNF-α but decreases IL-10 secretion after ischemic injury, reflecting its pro-inflammatory activity. ProTΔNLS suppresses expression of TNF-α, MPO, and activity of MMPs in ischemic brain tissue. It also suppresses activation of microglia in penumbral cortex. These data demonstrate the immunesuppressive activities of ProTΔNLS. In conclusion, ProT has pro-inflammatory effect that may counteract its neuroprotective effect. Deletion of NLS from ProT may attenuate post-ischemic inflammation and enhance the neuroprotective effects of ProT.
Huahui 1 is an elite transgenic male sterile restorer line of wild rice abortive-type that expresses a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) δ-endotoxin and provides effective and economic control of ...lepidopteran insects. To exploit Huahui 1 to develop a new Bt rice, the insertion site of the Bt gene was determined by thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (TAIL-PCR). Bt was located in the promoter region of LOC.Os10g10360, approximately 5.35 Mb from the telomere of the short arm of chromosome 10. For the first time, a Bt cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) system was developed by introgressing Bt from Huahui 1. The recipient CMS system used consisted of Indonesia paddy rice-type II-32B (maintainer line) and II-32A (male sterile line). Marker-assisted selection was used to increase selection efficiency in the backcrossing program. In BC5F1, the Bt plant 85015-8 was selected for further analyses, as it had the highest SSR marker homozygosity. In addition, the linkage drag of the foreign Bt gene in 85015-8 was minimized to 8.01-11.46 Mb. The foreign Bt gene was then delivered from 85015-8 into II-32A. The resultant Bt II-32A and Bt II-32B lines were both resistant to lepidopteran in field trials, and agronomic traits were not disturbed. The maintainability of II-32B, and the male sterility and general combining ability of II-32A, were not affected by the Bt introgression. This study demonstrates a simple and fast approach to develop Bt hybrid rice.
This study aimed at the evaluation and assessment of a simple method, the transverse process resection (TPR) technique, for freehand thoracic pedicle screw placement and the learning curve for ...trainee surgeons.
In the TPR technique, the tip of the thoracic transverse process (TP) is removed to create an entry point in the cancellous bone of the TP, and the thoracic pedicle is cannulated from the TP. We retrospectively evaluated the safety and radiographic results of the TPR technique and compared with that of conventional pedicle screws. The training performance of seven neurosurgical residents with TPR techniques were evaluated.
Among 46 patients, a total of 322 thoracic screws were analyzed, including 178 screws placed using the TPR technique and 144 screws using the conventional straight-forward (SF) technique. TPR screws had greater medial angulations in all levels from T2 to T12 compared to SF screws (p < 0.001). The incidence of pedicle breach was lower in the TPR screws compared to SF screws (6.2% vs. 21.5%, p < 0.001), especially for screws placed by residents (6.7% vs. 29.6%, p < 0.001). Residents had improved performance following a cadaveric training course on the TPR technique (p = 0.001).
This study demonstrated the safety of the TPR technique for thoracic pedicle screw placement and its short learning curve for trainee surgeons.
This retrospective cohort study was designed to assess whether there is an association between newly diagnosed dementia and the risk of stroke.
From Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research ...Database of reimbursement claims, we identified 2811 patients with newly diagnosed dementia and 14,055 randomly selected, age-matched patients without dementia. A Cox proportional hazards model was constructed to calculate the development of stroke, including ischemic stroke, and intracerebral, or subarachnoid hemorrhage.
During the 3-year follow-up period, 339 patients with dementia (12.06%) and 691 patients without dementia (4.92%) developed stroke. The adjusted HRs of developing stroke among newly diagnosed dementia patients were 2.33-times (range, 2.05-2.66), and the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke was higher than that of other stroke types. Patients who had Alzheimer's disease were at the highest risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Individuals with dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease, are at greater risk of developing stroke, especially in intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage than patients without dementia. Early mental screening programs and health education should be initiated for dementia patients.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lines T1, T4, and T6 were genetically modified to increase glycine betaine (GB) synthesis by introduction of the BADH (betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase, BADH) gene from ...mountain spinach (Atriplex hortensis L.). These transgenic lines and WT of wheat (T. aestivum L.) were used to study the effect of increased GB synthesis on wheat tolerance to salt stress. Salt stress due to 200mmolL−1 NaCl impaired the photosynthesis of the four wheat lines, as indicated by declines in net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), and actual photochemical efficiency of PSII (ФPSII) and an increase in intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci). In comparison with WT, the effect of salinity on the three transgenic lines was mild. Salt stress caused disadvantageous changes in lipids and their fatty acid compositions in the thylakoid membrane of the transgenic lines and WT. Under salt stress, the three transgenic lines showed slightly higher chlorophyll and carotenoid contents and higher Hill reaction activities and Ca2+-ATPase activity than WT. All the results suggest that overaccumulation of GB resulting from introduction of the BADH gene can enhance the salt tolerance of transgenic plants, especially in the protection of the components and function of thylakoid membranes, thereby making photosynthesis better. Changes in lipids and fatty acid compositions in the thylakoid membrane may be involved in the increased salt stress tolerance of the transgenic lines.
Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) for chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) has gained much attention in recent years. However, unintended embolization may occur when employing liquid embolic ...agents or particles. We present our clinical experience in simple coiling of MMAE to manage CSDH.
Patients underwent either surgical evacuation or MMAE with simple coiling for CSDH were reviewed. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were assessed at admission, 1-month, and 6-month intervals. Two treatment groups were matched with inverse probability of treatment weighting.
One hundred twelve patients were included, with 27 patients in MMAE group and 87 patients in surgery group. In MMAE group, significant reductions were observed in hematoma width (admission vs. 1-month, 2.04 1.44-2.60 cm vs. 0.62 0.37-0.95 cm,
< 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of surgical rescue rate (0.77 95%CI 0.13-4.47,
= 0.77), hematoma reduction (>50%) (0.21 95%CI 0.04-1.07,
= 0.06), and midline shift improvement rate (3.22, 95%CI 0.84-12.4,
= 0.09) had no substantial disparities between two groups at 1-month follow-up. In addition, no significant difference was noted between two groups in terms of hematoma reduction (>50%) at 6-month follow-up (aOR 1.09 95%CI 0.32-3.70,
= 0.89). No procedure-related complications were found in MMA embolization group.
Simple coiling for MMA had comparable outcomes with surgical evacuation for CSDH. Our findings suggest that simple coiling can be an alternative choice for liquid agents or particles in MMA embolization for CSDH with acceptable safety.
Purpose
There is a growing interest in performing coronary artery and neurovascular interventions via the radial artery; however, few studies have examined the outcomes of transradial carotid ...stenting. Therefore, our study aimed to compare cerebrovascular outcomes and crossover rates in carotid stenting between transradial and traditional transfemoral approaches.
Methods
A systematic review was performed by searching three electronic databases from inception to June 2022 in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. In addition, random effect meta-analysis was used to pool the odds ratios (ORs) for stroke, transient ischemic attack, major adverse cardiac events, death, major vascular access site complications, and procedure crossover rates between the transradial and transfemoral approaches.
Results
A total of 6 studies were included involving a total of
n
= 567 transradial and
n
= 6176 transfemoral procedures. The ORs for stroke, transient ischemic attack, and major adverse cardiac events were 1.43 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.72–2.86, I
2
= 0), 0.51 (95% CI 0.17–1.54, I
2
= 0), and 1.08 (95% CI 0.62–1.86, I
2
= 0), respectively. Neither the major vascular access site complication rate (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.32–3.87, I
2
= 0) nor crossover rate (OR 3.94, 95% CI 0.62–25.11, I
2
= 57%) showed statistically significant differences between the two approaches.
Conclusion
The modest quality of the data suggested comparable procedural outcomes between the transradial and transfemoral approaches when performing carotid stenting; however, high level evidence regarding postoperative brain images and risk of stroke in transradial carotid stenting are lacking. Therefore, it is reasonable for interventionists to weigh up the risks of neurological events and potential benefits, including fewer access site complications, before choosing the radial or femoral arteries as access sites. Future large-scale randomized controlled trials are imperative.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) causes brain injury via glutamate excitotoxicity, which leads to an excessive Ca
2+
influx and this starts an apoptotic cascade. Memantine has been proven to reduce ...brain injury in several types of brain insults. This study investigated the neuro-protective potential of memantine after SAH and explored the
underlying
mechanisms. An endovascular perforation rat model of SAH was used and Sprague–Dawley rats were randomized into sham surgery, SAH + vehicle, and SAH + memantine groups. The effects of memantine on SAH were evaluated by assessing the neuro-behavioral functions, blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and neuronal cell preservation. The mechanisms of action of memantine, with its
N
-methyl-
d
-aspartate (NMDA) antagonistic characteristics on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression and peroxynitrite formation, were also investigated. The apoptotic cascade after SAH was suppressed by memantine. Neuronal NOS (nNOS) expression, peroxynitrite formation, and subsequent oxidative/nitrosative stress were also reduced. Memantine effectively preserved BBB integrity, rescued neuronal injury, and improved neurological outcome in experimental SAH. Memantine has neuro-protective potential in experimental SAH and may help combat SAH-induced brain damage in the future.
Abstract
More and more high-power impact loads in the power grid are put into use. When the power is impacted, these loads will cause the power grid bus voltage fluctuations and reduce the power ...quality. Therefore, in order to accurately analyze the changes in the power system, it is particularly important to establish a reasonable impact load model. This paper takes the impact load data generated by the CT machine during exposure as an example to analyze the characteristics of the impact load. Based on the active power characteristics of the impact load, machine learning methods (such as support vector machines and long and short-term memory networks) are introduced into the impact load modeling, and the power waveform change law of the impact load is accurately established by this method. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is verified by simulation.
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