Angiogenesis is a vital biological process. MicroRNAs play important regulatory effects in angiogenesis, and the related research has attracted wide attentioa This article summarizes the latest advances in the regulatory effects of microRNAs in vasculogenesis in recent years, and at the same time, sums up some specific microRNAs in angiogenesis that may have imolved in regulating ischemic diseases.

MicroRNAs and hypoxia inducible factor have extensive and important biological functions, both of them play an important regulatory role in angiogenesis. The interaction between them has an important significance for the profound understanding of the regulatory mechanism of angiogenesis. This article mainly summarizes the mutual regulation of microRNA and hypoxia inducible factor and its effect on angiogenesis in recent years.

Neurogenesis refers to a biological process of neural stem cells self-proliferate and differentiate into new neurons, and are integrated into the neural networks, including the embryonic neurogenesis and adult neurogenesis. Studies have suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) play vital regulatory roles in neurogenesis. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms of miRNAs in the regulation of embryonic and adult neurogenesis as well as the possible regulatory roles of miRNAs in the process of neurogenesis after cerebral ischemia.

Endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs)are the precursor cells of vascular endothelial cells.EPCs are in bone marrow,peripheral blood and cord blood.They participate in the process of angiogenesis after birth.The stimulation of exogenous and endogenous factors mobilizes bone marrow-derived EPCs into peripheral blood,and participates in the revascularization of ischemic tissue and the process of re-endothelialization of the injured blood vessels.The decreased mmahers and quality of EPCs in blood circulation are one of the most important factors of unfavourable prognosis after ischemic stroke.The transplantation of EPCs may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are reprogrammed by the differentiated adult cells, ard in terms of biological characteristics they are remarkably similar to embryonic stem cells. Compared to the embryonic stem cells, the iPS cells are unrestricted by cell resources, immune rejection and ethics, They maintain the advantages such as specific individual genes, and provide potential cell resources for the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, This article mainly introduces the iPS cells and their application in the research and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.

Currently,the most effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke is administration of tissuetype plasminogen activator for intravenous or intra-arterial thrombolysis within 3 to 6 hours after symptoms onset.However,the narrow therapeutic time window and the risk of intracranial hemorrhage have limited its clinical application.Angiogcncsis refers to the process of the formation of new functional blood vessels with the manner of germination from the already existing network of blood vessels.An increasing number of studies have shown that histone deacetylases involve in the regulation of angiogenesis.It may become a potential stroke treatment strategy.This article reviews the role of histone deacetylases in the regulation of angiogenesis.

Neural stem cell (NSC) has self-renewal and differentiation potential.It can orderly differentiate into neurons,astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in the development of central nervous system.NSC differentiation was commonly regulated by a variety of factors,including cytokines,transcription factors and epigenetic factors.Epigenetic regulation is a heritable gene expression without changing the DNA sequence.Histone modification is an important regulation mode in epigenetic modifications,which is essential in the transcription process.It also plays a critical role in the development of central nervous system.This article briefly reviews the histone methylation and demethylafion in the regulation of NSC differentiation.

BACKGROUND: How to lessen neuronal necrosis to promote recovery of nerve function after ischemic cerebral injury? Cerebral ischemic preconditioning (IP) alleviates ischemic cerebral injury caused by re-ischemia to certain extent. It has been verified that sodium ferulate can lessen the incidence of neuron apoptosis after cerebral ischemia. Whether does sodium ferulate enhance the nerve protection of IP brain to not?OBJECTIVE: To explore the protection of sodium ferulate allied with IP in cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury.DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal experiment was designed.SETTING: Neurological Surgery Department of 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi Medical College, Department of Physiology of Jiangxi Medical College, Institute of Urinary Surgery of Jiangxi Medical College.MATERIALS: The experiment was perforned in Laboratory Room of Neurological Surgery Department of 2nd affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi Medical College from May 2001 to April 2002, in which, 85 Wistar male rats were employed, mass weighted varied from 250-300 g.METHODS: The rats were randomized into 4 groups: ① The control without ischemia (10 rats): Vertebral artery was ligatured bilaterally and common carotid artery was not clipped bilaterally. ② The control with ischemia (25 rats): Vertebral artery was ligatured bilaterally for 48 hours and common carotid artery was clipped for 10 minutes. ③ IP group (25rats): Vertebral artery was ligatured bilaterally for 48 hours and common carotid artery was clipped for 2 minutes, and 24 hours later, the common carotid artery was clipped again for another 10 minutes. ④ Sodium ferulate allied with IP group (Allied group) (24 rats): After IP, the common carotid artery was clipped again for 30 minutes and sodium ferulate (200 mg/kg)was injected intravenously from tail. The control without ischemia was subdivided into two groups of 2 days and 7 days after reperfusion respectively (5 rats for each one). The control with ischemia, IP group and allied group were subdivided into 5 groups of 6 bours, 12 hours, 24 hours,2 days and 7 days after reperfusion successively (5 rats for each one).The rats were sacrificed to collect brains at phase spots in each group.Coronary brain slice was collected 2.2 mm posterior to the optic chiasm and the effects of allied with was observed on neuron count and apoptotic cell count in cortex and hippocampal CA1 in cerebral ischemia reperfusion.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Neuron count and apoptotic cell count in cortex and hippocampal CA1.RESULTS: Totally 85 experimental rats all entered result analysis. ①Neuron count in cerebral cortex and hippocampal CA1: On the 7th day after ischemia, the counts in IP group and allied group were higher than ischemia control (268±8.5, 244±12.5, 135±5.6, P ＜ 0.01). ② Count of TUNEL positive cell in cerebral cortex and hippocampal CA1: The count in allied group was lower than that in IP group and ischemia control (12 hours:1.2±0.8, 15.5±2.1, 39.8±3.9; 24 hours: 1.8±1.6, 39.3±11.8, 191.3±19.1;2 days: 2.8±1.2, 68.3±13.6, 328.4±24.0, P ＜ 0.01), and that in IP group was lower than ischemic control (P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: IP lessens apoptotic neuron count in ischemic region.Sodium ferulate allied with IP further intensifies such effect and provides the protection of ischemic reperfusion injury of brain.

BACKGROUND: Due to a new finding in the in vitro proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells, neural stem cells are regarded as optimal materials for repairing and replacing the injured neural tissues. But how to enhance the proliferation of neural stem cells and how to induce neural stem cells to differentiate into certain phenotypes remain objects for discussing.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frozen/nonfrozen storage techniques in isolation and cultivation of neural stem cells isolated from human brain and to discuss the conditions suitable for their differentiation.DESIGN: A single sample based on cells.SETTING: Urinology Institute of Jiangxi Medical University and Neurosurgery Department of Second Hospital Affiliated to Jiangxi Medical College.MATERIALS: From December 2003 to June 2004, this study was conducted at the Urinology Institute of Jiangxi Medical College. Brain tissues removed from sixteen-week-old embryos were studied.METHODS: After being digested with trypsin, cells were separated from the brains of embryos. They were cultured in the serum-free media, stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor and were induced to differentiate using serum. Immunofluorescent cytochemical staining technique was adopted to detect the expressions of the Nestin and the neuron-specific enolase(the marker for mature neural cells) in these cells. The influence of basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor and serum on the proliferation and differentiation of the neural stem cells were investigated.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measurements in this tification of the Nestin and the neuron-specific enolase in these cells.bryo brain successfully. The embryo brain cells in primary culture were clear and round. After 3 days some cells aggregated to form neurospheres and some others suspended. Two weeks later, the neurospheres enlarged and a part of cells in it expanded into folds with strong reflection and proliferation. The continuous cultured cells inherited these characteristics and kept the morphological properties. The clones were cultured in the medium with serum. Twenty-four hours later, most of the cells were attached to the bottom of the plates. Cells were dissociated from the neurospheres and became irregular. Forty-eight hours later, most of the cells differentiated into many scattered patches of astrocytes with various shapes and neurites and many isolated neural stem cells were continuously cultured in vitro and they expressed Nestin, the marker of neural stem cells. After being cultured in medium with serum for 48 hours, the differentiated cells mainly expressed freeze-thaw cells were alive. Their living status had no significant difference compared to that of the fresh isolated cells.CONCLUSION: Serum-free culture medium, together with basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor, enables the in vitro culture, proliferation and purification of the neural stem cells. The feasibility of the method is confirmed. Meanwhile, the comparison between the cultures of freeze-thaw cells and fresh isolated cells indicated that frozen storage can be used as a way to preserve the human embryo brain cells, which will be available for study after thaw.

Objective To investigate the application of ultrasound localization during craniocerebral operations. Methods Thirty-one cases with intracranial space occupying lesion were surgically treated with guidance of ultrasound, which was applied to real-time localization while revealing skull, tracing during operation and evaluation of the operation's effect before locking up the skull. Results In our group, 31 cases were checked using ultrasound localization during operation. Ultrasound could level the lesion's size and position, which was in accordance with the result of CT and MRI before operation. With the application of ultrasound localization, the lesion could be probed exactly. Conclusions Ultrasound localization during operation is simple, effective and secure, and is helpful to enhance the accuracy of the craniocerebral operations, reduce the blindly exploration, shorten the operation time, and what is more important, reduce unnecessary tissue damage of normal brain tissue, which obviously possess much clinical utilization.