The most common forms of treatment for amblyopia are occlusion therapy and pharmacologic penalization. But these methods can not recover all the visual deficits of amblyopes and there are some disadvantages of the treatment which need to be considered, including adverse effects, compliance and social stigma. Recently, some novel approaches are investigated for improving the effectiveness and compliance of treatment for amblyopia.

Objective To explore the acute toxic reactions of memantine in neonatal rats. Methods Based on Completely Lethal dose(LD_(100)) and median lethal dose (LD_(50))of memantine in SD neonatal rats acquired in a preliminary test of death dose, 60 neonatal rats were randomly divided into normal group which were given water injection intraperitoneally and 5 study groups which were given different doses of memantine intraperitoneally.LD_(50) was calculated with Bliss method and the toxic reactions of memantine were observed in all neonatal rats of 6 groups after administration of memantine. Results LD_(50) of memantine in SD neonatal rats was((74.386?2.811)) mg/kg with 95% confidence at the range of 59.334-93.257 mg/kg.Side effects occurred at 1-4 minutes after administration. Excitatory jitteriness,ataxia,decreased respiratory rate and passivity were usually observed in groups with a lower dosage (52.0 mg/kg,61.2 mg/kg,72.0 mg/kg);some of them also manifested side lying, cyanosis and respiratory failure.While neonatal rats with a higher dosage (85 mg/kg,100 mg/kg)mainly manifested visible symptoms of inhibition, respiratory failure,side (lying) and cyanosis.However,no jitteriness and ataxia were observed in them.The neonatal rats usually died around 1 hour after memantine administration;survival rats usually returned to normal 4-5 hours after administration.Conclusion There is a positive correlation between toxic reactions and the mortality with memantine dosage in neonatal rats.

Bacterial biodiversities of microbial mat and sediments, which were sampled from thermal springs of Tengchong Rehai in Yunnan, were preliminarily studied with PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Directly extracted total DNA from environmental samples amplified by PCR with two sets of bacteria-specific primers. The PCR products, which include the V 8 and V 9 high-variable regions respectively, were analyzed by using DGGE. The DGGE profiles not only indicated the existence of higher levels of bacterial diversity, but also showed that the microbial mat and sediments have different dominant bacteria. Furthermore, the bacterial PCR-DGGE displayed clear profiles of bacterial structure selected by the key abiotic factors of the extreme environments, such as temperature and concentration of oxygen.

Objective To understand the mechanism of cerebral energy failure after hypoxia ischemia at the molecular level and to establish the protocol for the safe and effective treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE).Methods One hundred neonatal rats were divided into normal control group and hypoxic-ischemic(HI) group. SD rats of both groups were decapitated at the time of 2 h,24 h,48 h,72 h and 7 d after HI.These tissues of cerebrum,cortex and hippocampus were taken out to explore the influence of HI on the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3 genes with the method of RT-PCR.Results There was an enhancement in the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT3 genes with the increasing of day age. The expression was more intense in hippocampus than that in cortex. However, HI could significantly enhance the expression of GLUT genes. The expression was higher in cortex than that in hippocampus. The expression of two genes reached the peak at 24 h after HI, but was significantly lower than that in control group at 7 d after HI.Conclusion The increased expression of GLUT genes can maintain the energy supplement for the brain and delay a cascade reaction of cerebral energy failure.

Objective To investigate the pathomorphology effects of memantine on organs in neonatal rats.Methods Sixty-eight neonatal rats were randomly divided into 7 groups:5 groups by different doses memantine intraperitoneally and the controls by water intraperitoneally.The pathomorphology changes of organs were observed in all dead neonatal rats promptly after administration of memantine and in all survived rats after 7 days recover.Results 1.The ratio of organ weight and body weight in dead neonatal rats were higher than those of controls.2.The result of pathomorphology indicated that neurodegeneration and necrosis in the brain,the liver congestion and cell degeneration.The other organs had not distinct changes.3.The pathologic changes and mortality rate of neonatal rats were positively correlated with the dosage of memantine.Conclusion Memantine will affect liver and brain of neonatal rats.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate pathologically the effect of the single or combined application of UDP-glucose, GDNF and memantine on the improvement of white matter injury in neonatal rats with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) under light and electron microscopy.

METHODSA five-day-old neonatal rat model for PVL was established by ligation of the lateral common carotid artery following 120-minute hypoxia. Rats were randomly divided into six groups (30 rats in each group): sham-operated, PVL, UDP-glucose (UDP-glucose 2000 mg/kg intraperitoneally after PVL), GDNF (GDNF 100 μg/kg intracerebrally after PVL), tmemantine (memantine 20 mg/kg intraperitoneally after PVL), and a combination administration of three drugs (UDP-glucose, GDNF and memantine). The rats were sacrificed 7 or 21 days after PVL for assessment of pathological changes in the white matter under both light and electron microscopy. The number and thickness of the myelin sheath in the white matter were measured under electron microscopy, and both of pathological grading and scoring were undertaken under light microscopy.

RESULTSThere was rare and sparse myelinogenesis with a loose arrangement of nerve fibers in the white matter under electron microscopy in the PVL group at 7 and 21 days after PVL. The number and thickness of the myelin sheath in the PVL group were significantly less than in the sham-operated, UDP-glucose, GDNF, memantine and combination administration groups (P<0.01). The results of pathological grading of white matter under light microscopy showed that all rats in the PVL group manifested either mild injury (38%-50%) or severe injury (50%-62%) at 7 and 21 days after PVL. The majority of rats (50%-88%) in the four drug administration groups had normal white matter at 7 and 21 days after PVL. The pathological scores at 7 and 21 days after PVL in the PVL group were the highest, and they were significantly higher than in the other five groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe single or combined application of UDP-glucose, GDNF and memantine may significantly improve pathological changes in the white matter of rats with PVL. The favorable effect is inferred to be closely correlated with the improvement of brain microenvironment and the enhancement of nerve regeneration promoted by the three drugs.

Animals ; Brain Ischemia ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cerebral Ventricles ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Female ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular ; drug therapy ; Male ; Memantine ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Microscopy, Electron ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Uridine Diphosphate Glucose ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Thrombasthenia ; classification ; diagnosis

AIM:To investigate the clinical effect of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs combined with laser photocoagulation for diabetic macular edema (DME).METHODS: Totally 94 patients (141 eyes) with DME from June to December 2015 in our hospital were selected and randomly divided into combined group of 47 cases (68 eyes, ranibizumab combined with laser therapy) and the control group of 47 cases (73 eyes, laser treatment).The levels of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), macular central retinal thickness (CRT), total macular volume (TMV) and macular edema level were compared between the two groups at different time after treatment.RESULTS: The mean values of BCVA in the combined group were higher than those in the control group at 2, 6 and 12wk, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).At 2, 6 and 12wk after treatment, the CRT and TMV values of the combined group were lower than those of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).After treated for 12wk, patients with macular edema of combined group was 80.9% in mild level, 17.7% in moderate level, 1.5% in severe level, those of the control group was 60.0%, 31.5%, 5.5%, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The effect of anti-VEGF drugs combined with laser therapy for DME patients is better than that of single laser therapy alone.

With an objective to provide an experimental basis for scientific officinal of Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus, this research uses UPLC-TQ/MS method to analyze 7 different kinds of lignan in 70 batches of Schisandra sphenantherae Fructus samples from 9 regions. The results showed that in the area south of Qinling mountains, Schisandrae sphenantherae Fructus from Zhashui county and Shanyang county of Shangluo mainly contained schisantherin A and deoxyschizandrin. However, Schisandrae sphenantherae Fructus from Mei county of Baoji, Shiquan county and Ningshan county of Ankang, and Lueyang county of Hanzhong, mainly contained anwuligan. Samples from Ningshan county also consists relatively high level of deoxyschizandrin. In the central area of Qinling mountains and the Daba mountains, Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus from Nanzheng county of Hanzhong mainly contained schisanhenol and deoxyschizandrin. In conclusion, the kinds and level of lignan differ significantly in Schisandrae sphenantherae Fructus produced in different regions. In practical application, Schisandrae Sphenantherae Fructus produced in different regions should be distinguished and differently applied based on their main effective components corresponding to different diseases, which can lead to the best clinical use.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Lignans ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Schisandra ; chemistry

OBJECTIVEAnimal trials have demonstrated that memantine has neuroprotective effects on hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain damage. Whether memantine can improve the long-term prognosis of rats with HI brain damage has not been reported. This study was designed to investigate the long-term effect of memantine therapy on neonatal rats with HI brain damage.

METHODSSixty postnatal 7-day-old newborn rats were randomly assigned into Normal control, HI and Memantine treated groups. Memantine (20 mg/kg) was administered immediately after HI in the Memantine-treated group. All subjects received a 5-day training of Morris water maze test from 23 days old. The escape latency (EL) was recorded at 28 and 35 days old.

RESULTSThe EL values of the Normal control, HI and Memantine-treated groups at 28 days old were 23.1 +/- 21.8, 35.1 +/- 5.3, and 20.6 +/- 3.4 seconds, respectively. There was a significant difference in the EL value between the HI and the Normal control groups (P < 0.05). The EL value of the Normal control, HI and Memantine-treated groups at 35 days old were 19.7 +/- 16.7, 35.6 +/- 32.3, and 16.3 +/- 13.2 seconds, respectively. A prolonged EL induced by HI still existed (P < 0.05 vs Normal controls) but memantine treatment shortened the EL (P < 0.01 vs HI group) at 35 days old.

CONCLUSIONSAdministering memantine immediately after HI can markedly increase the abilities of spatial discrimination, learning and memory and improve the long-term prognosis in rats with HI brain damage.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Avoidance Learning ; drug effects ; Brain ; metabolism ; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Female ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; genetics ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; psychology ; Male ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Memantine ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley