Lateral habenula ( LHb ) , which is situated in the dorsal diencephalon of all vertebrates, is an important component of the habenular complex. The neural network outlined in previ-ous studies indicates that LHb acts not only as an important relay station to link the forebrain with the midbrain regions that in-volved in regulating behavioral responses to reward and mediating the transmassion of negative feedback information, but also is closely connected with 5-HT system. Indeed, recently studies demonstrate that experimental manipulations of LHb are followed by behavioural alterations in relation to drug addiction, reward-a-version responses, pain, sleep, depression and so on. This arti-cle mainly reviews the mechanisms of LHb involved in all kinds of physiological activities.

The comorbidity of pain and depression is common. Both disorders might share common neuroanatomical and molecu-lar mechanisms. Recent studies have found that the brain-de-rived neurotrophic factor( BDNF) ,which plays an important role in the process of pain-depression comorbidity, has gradually be-come a hot topic and target of treatment. The article mainly sum-marizes the mechanism underlying comorbid pain and depres-sion,as well as the significance of blood BDNF in diagnosis and treatment of pain and depression.

Objective To investigate the changes in the levels of motilin in the gastric body in a rat model of incisional pain.Methods Eighty-four healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 180-220 g,were randomized into 2 groups (n =42 each):normal saline group (NS group) and incisional pain group (P group).In group P an 1 cm long incision was made in the plantar surface of right hindpaw under sevotlurane anesthesia.Six rats were chosen from each group and paw withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation (MWT) and paw withdrawal latency to nociceptive thermal stimulation (TWL) were measured at 24 h before operation (To) and 1,6,24,48 and 72 h after operation (T1-5).Six rats were chosen from each group at T0-5 and sacrificed and the gastric mucosal tissues were prepared for measurement of motilin levels by ELISA.Results Compared with group NS,MWT,TWL and motilin levels were significantly decreased at T1-4 (P ＜ 0.05) and no significant change was found at T0 and T5 in P group (P ＞ 0.05).Compared with the baseline value at To,MWT,TWL and motilin levels were significantly decreased at T1-4,and no significant change was found at T5 in group P (P ＞ 0.05).MWT,TWL and motilin levels were significantly higher at T3-T5 than at T1 in group P (P ＜ 0.05).MWT,TWL and motilin levels were increased gradually at T3-T5 in P group (P ＜ 0.05).The motilin levels were positively correlated with MWT and TWL (r =0.9597 and 0.9231,respectively,P ＜ 0.01) in group P.Conclusion The levels of motilin in the gastric body is significantly decreased in a rat model of incisional pain and the decreasing range is positively corre lated with the degree of incisional pain.

Objective To investigate effects of intrathecal injection of morphine and fentanyl combined with low-dose naloxone on the pain behavior and the expression of blood motilin (MTL) in the rat model of incisional pain.Meth?ods A total of 72 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats (weight 180-220 g), successfully intrathecally catheterized, were ran?domly divided into 6 groups (n=12 ):normal saline group (NS group), incisional pain group (P group), morphine (5μg/kg)+fentanyl (0.25μg/kg) group (MFP group), morphine+fentanyl+naloxone (0.2 ng/kg, 1 ng/kg, 5 ng/kg) group (MFPN1, MF?PN2 and MFPN3 groups). All groups except NS group were made the model of incisional pain on the right plantar surface. At 24-hours before intrathecal cathetherization (T0), 24-hours before modelling (T1), 1-hours (T2), 3-hours (T3) , 6-hours (T4), 24-hours (T5) , 48-hours (T6) and 72-hours (T7) after modelling respectively, paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) and paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL) were detected in right hind paw in 6 rats of each group. The other 6 rats in each group were sacrificed 6-hour after operation. The plasma expression of motilin was detected by ELISA. Re?sults Compared with NS group, the PWMT was not significantly different in all time points in MFPN2 group. The values of PWTL were significantly longer at T2 and T5 in MFPN2 group than those of NS group (P<0.05). The PWMT and the PWTL were significantly decreased at T2, T3 and T4 in P and MFPN3 groups than those of NS group (P<0.05).Compared with P group, the PWMT at T6, and PWTL at T3 and T4 were significantly decreased in MFPN3 group (P<0.05). The MTL at T6 was significantly decreased in P, MFP, MFPN1 and MFPN3 groups compared with that of NS group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in MTL between MFPN2 group and NS group (P>0.05).Conclusion In the rat model of incision?al pain, intrathecal injection of naloxone at 1 ng/kg can inhibit the down-regulation of blood motillin caused by morphine and fentanyl, and which can up-regulate the PWTL, enhancing the analgesic effects of opioids.

Objective To evaluate the changes in the levels of motilin in the duodenum in a rat model of incisional pain.Methods Eighty-four healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 6-8 months,weighing 180-220 g,were randomized into 2 groups (n =42 each) using a random number table:control group (group C) and incisional pain group (group P).The animals were anesthetized with sevoflurane.In group P,a 1 cm long incision was made in the plantar surface of right hindpaw.Six rats were chosen from each group and mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured at 24 h before operation (T0) and 1,6,24,48 and 72 h after operation (T1-5).Six rats were chosen from each group at T0-5 and sacrificed and the duodenal mucosal tissue was prepared for measurement of motilin levels by ELISA.Pearson linear correlate analysis was performed between the motilin level and pain threshold at each time point in group P.Results Compared with group C,MWT was significantly decreased,TWL was shortened,and motilin levels were significantly increased at T1-4,and no significant change was found at T0 and T5 in group P.The motilin levels were negatively correlated with MWT (r =-0.8 910) and TWL (r =-0.8 463) in group P.Conclusion Incisional pain can promote the secretion of motilin in the duodenum.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β( GSK-3β) is a serine-threonine kinase,which was originally identified as a key regula-tor of glycogen metabolism. In nervous system, GSK-3β partici-pates in many central and peripheral nervous system physiological processes through transcription,cell proliferation and differentia-tion. The abnormal activity of GSK-3βinduces downstream signa-ling molecules and gene expression abnormalities,which are in-volved in some neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,Alzheimer's disease,and pain. In recent years, lots of basic and clinic researches focus on GSK-3β,which might gradually become critical theraptic target of many diseases. The article mainly reviews the mechanisms involved in abnormal acti-vation of GSK-3β related neuropsychiatric disorders.

BACKGROUND: The extracellular signal-related kinase(ERK) cascade is activated by its specific upstream kinase MAPK/ERK kinase(MEK) and identified as a critical regulator of cell growth, memory formation and long-term neuronal plasticity.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of ERK activation in establishment and maintenance of chronic neuropathic pain.DESIGN: A randomized controlled experiment based on the animals.SETTING: Department of Anesthesiology of a university-affiliated hospital.MATERIALS: The experiment was performed in the Medical Institute of Anesthesiology of Jiangsu Province from September 2003 to June 2004. Totally 115 male clean SD rats weighting 220 to 300 g were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Xuzhou Medical Colleg e. The rats were raised in separate cages with natural lighting at 20 to 25 ℃, having free access to food and water.INTERVENTIONS: Five days after chronic constrictive injury(CCI) model was established, different doses of U0126 were intrathecally injected according to Mestre' s method. The control group received sterile intrathecal injection of 50 g/L dimethylsulfoxide.hyperalgesia by using von Frey filaments and thermal hyperalgesia stimulator activation and translocation of ERK in spinal cord dorsal horn by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis.RESULTS: CCI could increase the activity of EPK in spinal cord dorsal horn. Intrathecal injection of U0126 significantly attenuated CCI-induced mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia.CONCLUSION: Activation and translocation of ERK contribute to formation and maintenance of CCI-induced neuropathic pain.

Objective To evaluate the effects of different analgesics combined with propofol of intravenous anesthesia on postoperative analgesia and emotion in patients of artificial abortion. Methods One hundred and twenty-two patients who had underwent painless artificial abortion were selected. The patients were divided into 4 groups by random digits table method: simple propofol group (C group, 29 cases), fentanyl combined with propofol group (F group, 30 cases), oxycodone combined with propofol group (Q group, 30 cases) and sufentanil combined with propofol group (S group, 33 cases). The induced dose of propofol was 2.5 mg/kg. When patients had limb movement during operation, a single addition of propofol 0.5 mg/kg was added until the body movement disappeared. The changes of mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate and respiratory rate before and after operation were compared among the 4 groups. The emotional status was assessed with affective scale before operation and 1 h after operation. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of abdominal pain at 10, 30 and 60 min after palinesthesia. The propofol dose, operation time, recovery time and adverse reaction were recorded. Results No obvious adverse reactions were found during the operation. There was no statistical difference in operation time among 4 groups (P>0.05). The propofol dose, recovery time, body movement and the VAS score at 10, 30, 60 min after palinesthesia in F group, Q group and S group were significantly lower than those in C group, and there were statistical differences (P<0.05);but there were no statistical difference among F group, Q group and S group (P>0.05). The MAP, heart rate and respiratory rate at beginning of the surgery and during the surgery were significantly lower than that before anesthesia in the 4 groups, and there were statistical differences (P<0.05); but there were no statistical differences in MAP, heart rate and respiratory rate among 4 groups (P>0.05). The positive affective score after operation in C group, F group, Q group and S group was significantly higher than that before operation: (24.6 ± 5.6) scores vs. (21.7 ± 6.2) scores, (24.6 ± 3.1) scores vs. (20.6 ± 4.6) scores, (28.3 ± 6.3) scores vs. (20.8 ± 5.3) scores and (25.2 ± 5.4) scores vs. (19.9 ± 4.8) scores, and the negative affective score after operation in C group, F group, Q group and S group was significantly lower than that before operation: (17.0 ± 5.3) scores vs. (29.7 ± 7.4) scores, (17.2 ± 3.0) scores vs. (30.8 ± 5.0) scores, (16.1 ± 5.1) scores vs. (30.4 ± 4.9) scores and (17.9 ± 4.0) scores vs. (32.1 ± 5.5) scores, and there were statistical differences (P<0.05). The positive affective score after operation in Q group was significantly higher than that in C group, F group and S group, and there was statistical difference (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in negative affective score after operation among 4 groups (P>0.05). Conclusions The fentanyl, sufentanil and oxycodone combined with propofol of intravenous anesthesia in patients underwent artificial abortion can reduce propofol dose, shorten recovery time, improve positive affective score, decrease negative affective score and strengthen the analgesic effect, and doesn't increase the adverse reaction. The respiratory and circulatory inhibition effects of different analgesics combined with propofol of intravenous anesthesia were similar, but oxycodone can increase positive affective score.

To investigate the effect of propofol on the release of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from rat hippocampal synatosomes, synaptosomes was made from hippocampus and incubated with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF). With the experiment of Ca(2+)-dependent release of glutamate and GABA, dihydrokainic acid (DHK) and nipectic acid were added into aCSF. For the observation of Ca(2+)-independent release of glutamate and GABA, no DHK, nipectic acid and Ca2+ were added from aCSF. The release of glutamate and GABA were evoked by 20 micromol/L veratridine or 30 mmol/L KCI. The concentration of glutamate and GABA in aCSF was measured by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 30, 100 and 300 micromol/L propofol significantly inhibited veratridine-evoked Ca(2+)-dependent release of glutamate and GABA (P < 0.01 or P < 0. 05). However, propofol showed no effect on elevated KCl-evoked Ca(2+)-dependent release of glutamate and GABA (P > 0.05). Veratridine or elevated KCI evoked Ca(2+)-independent release of glutamate and GABA was not affected significantly by propofol (P > 0.05). Propofol could inhibit Ca(2+)-dependent release of glutamate and GABA. However, it has no effect on the Ca(2+)-independent release of glutamate and GABA.
Anesthetics, Intravenous/pharmacology ; Calcium/metabolism ; Glutamic Acid/*biosynthesis ; Hippocampus/*metabolism ; Propofol/*pharmacology ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Synaptosomes/*metabolism ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/*biosynthesis

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of the level of plasma D-dimer, lipoproteins and carcino-embry-onic antigen(CEA) in gastrointestinal cancer.Methods The plasma D-dimer ,lipoproteins,CEA and clinicopathological data of 139 gastrointestinal cancer patients and 155 normal controls were collected and analyzed .Lipoproteins included high-density lipoprotein(HDL),low-density lipoprotein(LDL) and lipoprotein a[LP(a)].SPSS 13.0 statistical software was used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of each examination method and to find the appropriate combination .Results The plasma D-dimer,LDL,LP( a) and CEA levels were distinctly higher in patients than those in normal controls ( P<0.001).HDL levels were significantly lower in patients than those in normal controls (P<0.001).The cutoff of D-dimer was 0.495 μg/ml , the sensitivity of D-dimer was 62.6%,and the specificity was 86.5%.The cutoff of HDL was 1.025 mmol/L, the sensitivity was 72.7%,and the specificity was 85.2%.The cutoff of LDL was 3.375 mmol/L, the sensitivity was 54%,and the specificity was 82.6%.The cutoff of LP(a) was 27.3 mg/dl, the sensitivity was 58.3%,and the speci-ficity was 87.1%.The cutoff of CEA was 2.14 ng/ml, the sensitivity was 59.7%,and the specificity was 76.8%.The sensitivity and specificity of HDL +CEA were 77.7%and 88.4%, respectively.The sensitivity and specificity of HDL +D-dimer were 70.5% and 96.1%, respectively.The sensitivity of HDL +LP(a) was 76.3%,and the specificity was 93.5%.The sensitivity of D-dimer +HDL+LP(a) was 84.2%,and the specificity was 92.3%.The sensitivity of D-dimer +HDL+CEA was 87.1%, and the specificity was 85.8%.The sensitivity and specificity of HDL +LP(a) +CEA were 85.6%and 92.3%, respectively.The sensitivity of D-dimer +HDL+CEA +LP(a) was 89.9%while the specificity was 92.3%.Conclusions Plasma D-dimer and lipoproteins can serve as tumor markers in gastrointestinal cancer .Combined detection has higher sensitivity and specificity .