Objective To observe the distribution of acetylcholinesterase activity in the thalamus of the monkey.Methods Histochemical method was used to detect the acetylcholinesterase activity in the thalamus.Results Acetylcholinesterase was found to be inhomogeneous distribution in the primate thalamus and to reveal previously uncovered inhomogeneity within certain thalamic nuclei and their subdivisions. The medial, ventral and posterior nuclear groups displayed markedly uneven acetylcholinesterase reaction.In the mediodorsal nucleus,three distinct sbudivisions were revealed by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry, medial magnocellular part, ventral sector of central parvicellular part and dorsolateral sector of lateral pars multiformity showed weak, moderate and strong acetylcholinesterase activity, respectively. In the ventral nuclear group, acetylcholinesterase histochemistry was strong in the medial part of ventral posterior nucleus, moderate in the magnocellular part of ventral anterior, caudal, medial, oral and pars postrema parts of ventral lateral nucleus, as well as lateral part of ventral posterior nucleus, poor and weak in the inferior part of ventral posterior nucleus, par compacta of the medial part of ventral posterior nucleus and parvicellular part of ventral anterior nucleus. In the pulvinar nucleus, acetylcholinesterase reaction ranged from weak, moderate to strong in the parts of the oral, medial and lateral, as well as inferior of this nucleus, respectively. Regional variations of acetylcholinesterase activity within the thalamic nuclei and their subdivisions can help to identify them by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry. In addition, the dark patches of strong acetylcholinesterase activity contrasting with a lighter surrounding matrix were revealed within the parvicellular part and pars multiformis of mediodorsal nucleus, paracentral nucleus, central lateral nucleus, pars postrema part of ventral lateral nucleus and medial habenula nucleus, as well as medial part of pulvinar necleus, respectively.Conclusion Acetylcholinesterase histochemistry can serve as useful marker for delineating the thalamic nuclei and their sbudivisions. The different distribution of acetylcholinesterase histochemistry implies the activity of thalamic nuclei may be modulated by cholinergic systems.

Objective To study mechanism and clinical meaning of endothelin(ET) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) in patients with acute stroke.Methods The contents of ET and NSE in blood and cerebrospinal fluid were measured by RIA in patients with acute stroke, and correlation analysis of the contents of ET and NSE with different lesion area,severe degree and different period of the disease was performed.Results The contents of ET and NSE in acute cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction groups were significantly higher than those in control group ( P

Objective To investigate the change and its mechanism of serum S100? protein and C-reactive protein (CRP) content in patients with acute cerebral infarction(ACI).Methods The content of serum S100? and CRP in 54 patients with ACI and 21 normal control were measured. The changes of S100? and CRP were compared with patients of different pathogenetic condition and infarction sige. The correlation analysis between S100? and CRP was also made.Results The level of serum S100? and CRP in patients with ACI increased significantly compared with control group (all P

Objective To investigate the changes of the cognitive function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,and the correlated sensitive index and risk factors were evaluated.Methods Mini-mental state examination (MMSE),Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) and Event-related potentials (ERP) were tested in 100 type 2 diabetic cases and 40 normal controls,and the relations of cognitive function,P_3 peak latency (PL) to course of disease,treatment and glycohemoglobin A1 (GhbA1) were analysed respectively.Results The scores of MMSE and WMS-R in patient group were lower than those in control group( P

0.05). The scores of sub items of MMSE including place orientation,time orientation,short time memory,account ability,language expression,language repetition,figure portrayal in patients with VCI were lower than those in normal subjects (all P

Objective To explore alterations of cognitive function and P300 in depressed patients with Parkinson's disease(PD).Methods Zung's self-rating depression scale(SDS) and Hamilton depression rating scale(HAMD) were used to divide the 67 patients with PD into two groups, PD with depression and PD without depression. The cognitive function and P300 were measured, further comparing and the correlation analysis were made.Results The score of Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) in the PD patients was in normal extent,but significantly lower than that in the normal controls(P

Objective To observe the effects of cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors and prostaglandin (PG) receptor blocker on hyperalgesia of diabetic rats. Methods Nociceptive paw-withdrawal threshold (NPWT) and thermal latency (TL) of diabetic hyperalgesic rats were tested after subcutaneous injections of COX inhibitors indomethacin and meloxicam, and EP 1 PG receptor blocker SC-19220 into the dorsum of the hindpaw of the rats. Results Indomethacin, a classic inhibitor of COX, produced a significant and long-lasting relief of mechanical hyperalgesia in diabetic hyperalgesic rats. Meloxicam, a selective cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor, alleviated mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, but with a shorter duration. SC-19220, a selective EP 1 PG receptor blocker, produced significant relief of mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Conclusion COX inhibitors and EP 1 PG receptor blocker relieve hyperalgesia of diabetic rats, which suggests that PGs play an important role in inducing and maintaining hyperalgesia in diabatic rats.

Objective To observe the effect o f selective prostaglandins EP 1 receptor antagonist SC19220 on the afferent activity of C unit in the saphenous nerve of diabetic rats. Methods The response of C units to sustained 1 min threshol d and suprathreshold stimuli was measured following intradermal injection of EP 1 receptor antagonist SC19220 into the receptive field of C unit of the sa phenous nerve in control and diabetic rats. Results The mechanical threshold of C units in diabetic rat s was obviously decreased compared with that of control rats (P

Objective To investigate changes in the firing activities of nucleus accumbens (NAc)neurons and their response to 5-HT7 receptor stimulation in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease (PD).Methods The firing activities and response of NAc neurons to 5-HT7 receptor agonist in PD rats were recorded by in vivo electroneurophysiology and neuropharmacology and then were compared with those in the sham group.Results The mean firing rate of NAc neurons was (5.46 ±0.88)Hz in the sham rats and (3.77 ±0.48)Hz in the PD rats. The firing rate of NAc neurons increased significantly compared with that in the sham rats (P <0.05).In PD rats, 65% of NAc neurons fired in bursts and 35% fired irregularly.However,in the sham rats,57.5% of NAc neurons fired in bursts and 42.5% fired irregularly.There was no significant difference in the firing pattern of NAc neurons between the PD and sham rats (P >0.05 ).Systemic administration of 5-HT7 receptor agonist AS1 9 increased the firing rate of NAc neurons in the sham and PD rats.This excitation was significant at a high dose of 1 60 μg/kg for NAc neurons in the sham rats (P <0.05).However,the excitation produced by AS1 9 was significant at a high dose of 80 μg/kg in PD rats (P <0.05).The cumulative dose-produced excitation in the PD rats was lower than that in the sham rats.The effects induced by AS1 9 were reversed by the 5-HT7 receptor antagonist SB269970 in both groups.Conclusion The reinforced firing activity of NAc neurons might be mediated by 5-HT7 receptor in the neurons of PD rats.

Objective To investigate the altered expression of muscarinic receptor 2 (M_2 receptor) in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) of Parkinson's disease (PD) model rat by immunocytochemical technique and explore the role of M_2 receptor in etiopathogenesis and pathophysiological changes of PD. Methods Sixteen healthy SD rats were divided randomly into two groups. Rat monoclonal antibody against the M_2 receptor was used. Then we used positive cell counting and optical density as indicators to analyze the altered expression of M_2 receptor in PPN of PD model rats. Results The counting of M_2 receptor positive cells in the PPN was not obviously changed in normal rats and the unlesioned side of PD rats (P>0.05), whereas a significant decrease was observed when compared to that in normal rats and the lesioned side of PD rats, respectively (P<0.05). However, the positive intensity in the three groups did not differ significantly. Conclusion The results indicate that there was a degenerative death or receptor loss of M_2 receptor positive cells in the lesioned PPN of PD rats. The expression intensity of M_2 receptor positive cells without degenrative death or receptor loss was not affected. It was also found that the factor affecting the change of M_2 receptor positive cells in the PPN involved only one side.