Aim To study ethanol-induced changes in the development and neuronal number of visual cortex in C57BL /6 mice. Methods Female mice were fed with ethanol during pregnancy . The neuron density (ND) and cortical thickness (CT) in visual cortex of off spring mice were measured at either P0, P7 and P14 with hematoxylin and eosin (H.E) and Nissl staining. Results Embryonic death and malformationswere found in the ethanol-treated groups. Malformations, such as microcephaly,anencephaly and myeloschisis with spinabifida, etc were found in late-term embryos. The malformation rate was 12%. Compared with control group, the development of visual cortex in ethanol-treated groups was delayed, and its lamination was in disorder. The neuron polarity was disturbed. Neuron loss was found after ethanol exposure. At various ages, the neuron density in ethanol-treated groups was lower than that in control group(P

Objective To study ethanol-induced the neuroapoptosis of visual cortex in offspring mice. Methods Pregnant female mice were fed by intubating alcohol daily,beginning on E5(embryonic,E) and continuing through the pup's birth.The neuroapoptosis in P0,P7 and P14 visual cortex was visualized by Caspase-3 activity immunohistochemistry and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) staining. Results Usually,the pup's birth days would delay one or two days after ethanol exposure.Moreover,ethanol induced reabsorption of fetus and malformations,such as microcephaly,anencephaly and myeloschisis with spinabifida and so on,were found in the study.Apoptosis index in ethanol treatment groups was obviously higher than that in control at either P0,P7 or P14(P

After ischemic stroke, there is neovascularization around the infarcted area, which is called penumbra. Angiogenesis and arteriogenesis are responsible for the new vessel formation. Until recently, vasculogenesis has been proved to involve mechanisms in postischemic neovascularization, which was thought to be restricted to embryonic development. New blood vessels' formation is a complex pathologic process after ischemic stroke, in which many factors are properly involved. There are factors stimulating neovascularization, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor and angiopoietin; there are also factors inhibiting neovascularization, such as thrombospondin. Functional recovery was found after stroke, which may contribute to angiogensis in the periinfarct tissue. Thus, therapeutic angiogenesis has been initially studied in animal models, but there is still a long way to go for therapeutic angiogenesis to be used in the treatment of stroke patient.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; pharmacology ; Angiopoietin-1 ; metabolism ; Brain ; blood supply ; Brain Infarction ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors ; metabolism

Objective To study the relationship between gene mutation and clinical phenotype in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).Methods The clinical data of 76 patients with TSC diagnosed in Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital were collected between May 2007 and May 2014 and then TSC gene mutation analysis was performed.Genotype-phenotype analyses for all the patients were also carried out.Results Fifty of the 76 (66％) patients were male,and 26 (34％) were female,in which 19 (31％) patients presented with cyst-like cortical tuber,69 (92％) with skin lesions,16 (30％) with renal lesions,50 (69％) with mental retardation and 39 still suffered seizures after a year.In this study,22 (29％) cases showed TSC1 gene mutation,31 (59％) presented TSC2 gene mutation,and 15 (20％)cases had no mutation identified.The mutation ratio of TSC1 ∶ TSC2 was approximately 3 ∶ 5,while the mutation ratio of TSC1 ∶ TSC2 was 1 ∶ 1 for familial TSC patients,and 1 ∶ 2 for sporadic TSC patients.Comparing to those with TSC1 gene mutation and no mutation identified,patients with TSC2 gene mutation exhibited statistical meaning on the aspects of the onset age of seizure (Z =1.688,P =0.007),seizure onset before l-year-old (x2 =10.584,P =0.001),epilepsy duration (x2 =4.996,P =0.025),spasms onset (x2 =10.111,P =0.001),cyst-like cortical tuber (x2 =9.182,P =0.002),skin lesions (x2 =9.016,P =0.003),as well as renal lesions (x2 =6.079,P =0.014).No apparent relation was found between genotype and intelligence outcome.Conclusions The patients with TSC2 gene mutations presented severer symptoms in seizure onset than those with TSC1 gene mutation and no mutation identified.The patients with TSC2 gene mutation were characterized by early onset of seizure,especially before 1-year-old,others like spasms onset,cyst-like cortical tuber,skin lesions,as well as renal lesions being more vulnerable.Therefore,more active treatment should be given to the patients with TSC2 gene mutation.

Objective To explore the common causes of epilepsy and the etiologic characteristics in different age groups of patients with epilepsy.Methods A retrospective survey was made in 5572 epilepsy patients in Epileptic Center of Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital from January 2003 to December 2009.According to the diagnostic criteria published in 2005 from ILAE,all the diagnoses of 5572 cases were made by epileptic specialists.Based on history,cranial MRI or CT and pathologic data,causes of epilepsy were classified into idiopathic,symptomatic and cryptogenic epilepsy.The cases of symptomatic epilepsy were further arranged into different categories in different age grades,such as head trauma,perinatal injuries,infection in central nervous system, cerebral vascular disease, brain tumor, disorders of cortical development,neurocutaneous syndrome and others.The cases with febrile seizures and family history were collected,and positive ratio of febrile seizures and family history were contrasted in different categories of cases by Kruskal-Wallis test ( nonparametric test ).Results In 5572 cases,66 were idiopathic,2834 symptomatic,2672 cryptogenic,and the ratio of these causes was 1％,51％,48％ respectively.Among 2834 cases of symptomatic epilepsy,822 were head trauma,497 were perinatal injuries,360 were infection in central nervous system,249 were brain tumor,150 were cerebral vascular disease,135 were disorders of cortical development,62 were neurocutaneous syndrome and 559 were others. In brief,head trauma,perinatal injuries,infection in central nervous system,brain tumor and cerebral vascular disease were top 5 causes of symptomatic epilepsy. Hippocampal sclerosis was found in 744 cases in those of eryptogenic epilepsy.The importance of febrile seizures( idiopathic:15.2％ ( 10/66 ),symptomatic:6.5％ ( 185/2834 ),cryptogenic:9.4％ ( 250/2672 ) ; x2 =181.393,P =0.000 ) and family history ( idiopathic:83.3％ ( 55/66 ),symptomatic:1.1％ (31/2834),cryptogenic:0.4％ (12/2672) ; x2 =68.354,P =0.000) was statistically different in different causes of epilepsy.Febrile seizures was the most frequent in cases with hippocampal sclerosis than those with other causes,and family history was the most frequent in neurocutaneous syndrome in symptomatic cases.Perinatal injurics was thc first causc in cases of infancy and childhood,head trauma was the top one in those of juvenile and adulthood,and cerebral vascular disease was the main cause in senile cases. Conclusions In the whole epileptic cases of 5572, 1％ was idiopathic,51％ was symptomatic,and 48％ cryptogenic. The main causes of them were head trauma,perinatal injuries,infection in central nervous system,brain tumor,and cerebral vascular disease.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with dentatorubro-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA).

METHODSDNA analysis for DRPLA gene was performed in two patients. Clinical features and genetic testing of Chinese DRPLA patients reported in the literature were reviewed in terms of initial symptoms, CAG repeat and age of onset.

RESULTSBoth families were confirmed by genetic analysis. In family 1, the number of CAG repeat in the proband, his brother and his mother was determined respectively as 8/65, 8/53 and 8/18. In family 2, the number of CAG repeat was respectively 13/63, 13/18, 18/52 and 13/13 in the proband, his brother, his father and his mother. The size of the expanded CAG repeats has inversely correlated with the age at onset (P<0.05, r=- 0.555). The age at onset of epilepsy was 10 and that for the onset of ataxia is forty years in initial symptom.

CONCLUSIONThe clinical characteristics of DRPLA include epilepsy, ataxia and cognitive impairment. The initial symptoms are epilepsy in adolescence and ataxia in adults. The size of expanded CAG repeats inversely correlates with the age at onset. The initial symptoms are different with different age of onset. It is difficult to diagnose DRPLA at an early stage.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Atrophy ; genetics ; Basal Ganglia Diseases ; diagnosis ; genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Dentate Gyrus ; pathology ; Family Health ; Female ; Globus Pallidus ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion ; genetics ; Young Adult