BACKGROUND: Lipopolysaccharide(LPS), as a polyclonal immune exciter, can simulate immune excitation status, which is useful in the observation of whether the catecholaminergic neurons in paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus(PVN) projected from medullary visceral zone(MVZ) react towards LPS stimulation that is to provide a theoretical gist for the researches on the protection of brain function.OBJECTIVE: To observe whether PVN catecholaminergic neurons projected from MVZ react towards LPS stimulation for the exploration of the impacts of MVZ-PVN catecholaminergic access in "immune-to-brain communication".DESIGN: A randomized controlled study using experimental animals as subjects.SETTING: An Institute of Neurosurgery and Neurology of one Military University of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS: The study was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery of Zhujiang Hospital affiliated to Southern Medical University and the Institute of Neurology of the Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from January to December in 2002. Ten healthy adult SD rats in cleanness grade were obtained from the experimental animal center of the Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.METHODS: WGA-HRP was injected into PVN of one side of the rat, and the immune exciter LPS was injected into the abdominal cavity after 48 hours of survival to induce immune response. Samples were stained by triple labels of WGA-HRP method and double immunohistochemical staining of anti-Fos and anti-TH antibodies.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To observe the distributions and expressions of WGA-HRP labeled cells, Fos protein, and catecholaminergic neuron(labeled by TH) in MVZ.RESULTS: Seven immune-reactive(IR) positive neurons were found in MVZ, i. e., HRP, Fos or TH single labeled cells, Fos/HRP, Fos/TH or HRP/TH double labeled cells, and Fos/HRP/TH triple labeled cells. Fos/HRP double labeled neurons and Fos/HRP/TH triple labeled neurons accounted for 12. 5% and 39.6% of HRP labeled cells respectively.CONCLUSION: MVZ reacts to LPS immune stimulation, which could upload the immune message to PVN through Catecholaminergic neurons.MVZ might be a relay station in "immune-to-brain communication", which exerts immune modulatory impact through "MVZ→PVN" access.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis(MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease induced by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Its pathogen and the mechanism of the relapse and remission m the course of the disease are still unknown. Most of the MS research centers are looking for the pathogenic polypeptide epitope in proteolipid protein(PLP), myelin sheath basic protein (MBP) and oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) OBJECTIVE: To compare the proliferation of T cell lines(TCL) in MS induced by myelin sheath and delipidated myelin sheath towards 11 components of myelin sheath to mainly search the possible pathogenic polypeptide epitope in PLP, and investigate the possible effects of abnormal dcgrease in myelin sheath.DESIGN: A case-controlled trial.SETTING: Department of neurology in a hospital of a university.PARTICIPANTS: Mononuclear cells(MNC) of 16 MS cases(clinical relapsing-remitting type, patients did not receive any immunosuppresant for at least 3 months when their peripheral blood samples were taken) and 12 HLA-DR15 healthy volunteers were furnished by Dr. Trotter JL of MS Research Center of Washington University from the cell database.INTERVENTIONS: MS-TCL and normal TCL were induced twice by stimulation with myelin sheath and delipidated myelin sheath in vitro by cell culture in vitro. TCL proliferation was tested by 11 antigens including PLP,MBP, M87-106, P30-49, P40-60, P89-106, P95-117, P117-137,P139-151, P178-191, and P185-206.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Difference of scintillation counting in every minute of every well, and the stimulative index of each well were calculated, and the mean wells with positive proliferation of TCL towards each antigen were confirmed as well.RESULTS: The general specific proliferation towards myelin sheath antigens was bigger in MS group than control group 5.49 ±5.31 to 3.10 ± 3. 17, and delipidated myelin sheath-induced TCL was bigger than myelin sheath-induced one 5. 49 ± 5.31 to 3.41 ± 4. 83 . Delipidated myelin sheath significantly changed the immune responses of MS group,especially the changes of responses towards P30-49, P40-60, P89-106,P117-137, P139-161, and P185-206 were significant compared with that the control group only responded to two polypeptides, which indicated that the antigen epitope of MBP, PLP, M87-106, P95-117, P40-60, and P185-206 might have significance in the triggering of MS autoimmune responses.CONCLUSION: TCL induced by MS myelin sheath has different proliferation towards antigen components of myelin sheath from control group. Delipidated myelin sheath significantly increases TCL proliferation in MS group, which suggests that if MS patients developed abnormal degrease in myelin sheath, TCL would produce autoimmune response towards self-myelin sheath, MBP, PLP and its polypeptide segments all can trigger MS or aggravate the state of the illness. Our finding supports the hypothesis of MS autoimmune pathogenic mechanism.

BACKGROUND: NOV protein encoded by nephroblastoma overexpression gene(NOV) is IGF(insulin-like growth factor) -binding protein. What is its impact on human neural stem cell(hNSC) proliferation and differentiation?OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impacts of NOV protein on hNSCs proliferation and differentiation.DESIGN: A single factor analysis of variance experimental study using cells as subjectsSETTING: Department of histology and embryology, and department of neurobiology in a military medical university.MATERIALS: Study was conducted in the Department of Histology and Embryology of the Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA. Subjects were hNSCs cultured from 10 to 14 weeks human embryo cerebral cortex.INTERVENTIONS: COS-7 cells were transfected by NOV gene recombined plasmid. COS-7 cell and COS-7 cell modified by NOV gene conditioned culture media(COS-CM and NOV-CM) were collected and reacted with the cultured HNSCs.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: hNSCs proliferation was detected by 3H-TdR scintillation analysis, and hNSCs differentiation was detected by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometer(FCM).RESULTS: Both COS-CM and NOV-CM could significant promote the intake of 3H-TdR by HNSCs, of which the 1/minute of NOV-CM group was significantly higher than that of COS-CM group(P ＜ 0.05), which indicated that NOV-CM contained component that could facilitate hNSCs proliferation, and moreover, there was certain dose-effect relationship in NOV-CM' s facilitation of cellular proliferation. The results of immunocytochemistry and FCM revealed that there were more NF-200 positive cells in NOV-CM group, while many glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells could be seen in COS-CM group.CONCLUSION: NOV protein might have facilitative effects on hNSCs proliferation and differentiation into neurons.

BACKGROUND: Researches indicated that bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) could differentiated into neural stem cells in vitro, but what was the role of neural stem cells(NSCs) in the recovery of cortical injury,whether the NSC is capable of growing and migration in injured still remained unknown.OBJECTIVE: To explore the growing state of autograft NSC derived from crab-eating macaque BMSC transplanted in brain.DESIGN: Prospective case control study based on experimental animals.SETTING: Department of neurosurgery in a hospital of a military medical university.MATERIALS: This study was carried out at Center Laboratory of Neurological Research Institute, Zhujiang Hospital affiliated to the First Military Medical University of Chinese PLA. Six healthy adult crab-eating macaques were purchased from the South China Primate Animal Center.INTERVENTIONS: BMSCs harvested from six crab-eating macaques were cultured in vitro and induced to differentiate into neural stem cells, which then labeled by bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) and autografted into brains.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Brain tissues underwent hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining and immunohistochemical staining before observed under optical microscope.RESULTS: The results of HE staining showed that the cell number in injured brain vas obviously higher in both instant and delayed transplanting groups than sham-transplanting group; moreover cells were proved reacting to BrdU by immunohistochemical staining in cortical injuries of both groups at 1-6 months following stem cells autograft, as well as at neighboring white matters at half year later, but no BrdU positive cells could be found in traumatic controls, sham-transplanting group and normal brains.CONCLUSION: NSCs derived from in vitro cultured BMSCs were proved capable of surviving, proliferating, differentiating and migrating in cortex after autograft, so that BMSCs is considered as replacing cells or the source of NSCs; moreover autograft stem cells could survive, proliferate and migrate in old cortical traumatic focus.

BACKGROUND: The injury of peripheral nerve may cause electroneurographic changes. However, what is the correlation between electroneurographic changes and the extent of nerve injury?OBJECTIVE: To probe into the changes of evoked electroneurography in early stage after nerve injury for clinical application and reference.DESIGN: Paired t-test in three groups of samples.SETTING: Department of Traumatic Orthopaedics People' s Hospital of Beijing University.MATERIALS:The trial was conducted in the Animal Center of the People's Hospital of Beijing University from August 2003 to December 2003. The subjects were 8 adult New Zealand rabbits of SPF grade(weighing 1.5 kg) and either gender from the Animal Center of Medical College of Beijing University.METHODS:The model of nerve injury was made in the 16 tibial nerves of the 8 rabbits, in which one third or two thirds of each nerve was ligated at the same transverse part. The samples were thus divided into three groups: non-injury (normal) group, 1/3 nerve injury group and 2/3 nerve injury group.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The indices of evoked electroneurography, i. e. motor nerve condution velocity, negative M wave amplitude, negative M wave area, maximal M wave amplitude and maximal M wave area were measured in the three groups. The correlation between the extent of nerve injury and the 5 indices was analyzed.RESULTS: All the 5 indices of the 3 groups were significantly different( P＜ 0.05). The mean values of the 5 indices were 1.00 ±0.0,0.97 ±0.18,1.01 ±0.22;0.98 ±0.16 and 0.98 ±0.19 in normal group, 0.76 ±0.12,0.41 ± 0.24, 0.47 ± 0.30, 0.48 ± 0.27 and 0.50 ± 0.29 in 1/3 nerve injury group, and 0. 62±0. 10, 0. 11 ±0. 11, 0. 11 ±0. 10, 0. 12 ±0. 14 and 0.13± 0. 12 in 2/3 nerve injury group. The coefficient of correlation between the 5 indices and the injury were 0. 902, 0. 938, 0. 936, 0. 907, and 0. 914, respectively.CONCLUSION: In the early stage after peripheral nerve injury, the electroneurographic indices negatively correlate with the extent of nerve injury. The negative M wave amplitude and area are relatively more closely correlated with the extent of injury.

BACKGROUND: Primary progressive aphasia(PPA) is a degenerative disease of nervous system, which is very rare in clinics. Only 3 cases have been reported in our country. There is very little clinical information regarding the characteristics of PPA in linguistics and imageology.OBJECTIVE: To report the language disorder and the characteristics of imageology of one PPA patient for the clarification of the clinical features of PPA.DESIGN: A case analysis.SETTING: Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital; Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University.PATICIPANT: Male, 56 years old, senior high school graduate, businessman before the onset of the disease. The case visited the department of Neurology,Tiantan Hospital, Beijing due to the complaint of three years of progressive decreasing in language skills, which was then diagnosed with PPA.METH ODS: Spoken language fluency evaluation in Chinese Aphasia Examination Set of the First Affiliated Hospital of Beijing Medical University was used to evaluate this patient, the type of Aphasia was judged by Western Aphasia Examination Set, and the severity gradation was classified by the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination(BDAE) . Memory, intelligence screening and imageology examination were performed as well.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The fluency of spoken language, the type of aphasia, and the severity of aphasia of the patient were judged, and whether the patient suffered from memory and intelligence disorder were observed as well as the features of imageology.RESULTS: The patient had fluent spoken language, which was evaluated as sensory aphasia(SA) with the aphasia severity of level 4, and had no memory or intelligence disorder. MRI showed atrophy in left frontal lobe and temporal lobe, which was more significant in left side. MRI also showed that left temporal and frontal lobes had low metabolism and low perfusion.CONCLUSION: PPA is a disease with language disorder as its dominant clinical manifestation, which no other cognitive disorder at its initial stage,and with its main pathological changes in left temporal and frontal lobes.

BACKGROUND: There are many treatment approaches of the cervical spinal cord injury but the results were all unpleased.OBJECTIVE: To discuss the effect of the operation and other colligate treatments on the functional recovery of the patients who suffered from the cervical central spinal cord injury.DESIGN: A preoperative and postoperative control study.SETTING: Orthopaedic department in an affiliated hospital of a university.PARTICIPANTS: Eleven male patients of the central spinal cord injury,whose ages ranged from 36 to 65, were chosen from the Orthopedic Department of People' s Hospital of Jiangsu Province from January 1999 to January 2003. Nine cases suffered from traffic accidents. One case suffered from falling injury. One case suffered from head smash injury. The courses of diseases were from 2 hours to 14 days. Nine cases were accompanied with the cervical intervertebral disc herniation. One case was accompanied with the cervical vertebral canal stenosis. One case was accompanied with the fracture of the C6 vertebral body. Nine cases showed single segment injury and 2 cases showed two segment injuries in the MRI plate.METHODS: The operation was done 4 to 20 days after the injury. Anterior cervical intervertebral disc removal, bone implantation and the internal fixation of the armor plate were done in 9 cases. Posterior route cervical vertebral depression, bone implantation and internal fixation of the lateral armor plate were done in 2 cases.tion.RESULTS: Before the operation 11 cases were classified according to the Frankel Grade: 3 cases of 0 grade, 3 cases of Ⅰ grade and 5 cases of Ⅱ grade. After the operation 1 case of 0 grade, 4 cases of Ⅲ grade, and 6 cases of Ⅳ grade. The mean muscular power recovered 2 to 5 grades. The re-examination of the internal fixation was firm and right-located. The implanted bone healed well.CONCLUSION: After the diagnosis of the cervical central spinal cord injury, the colligate treatment is suggested. The operation removes the pathogenic factors as soon as possible, and other assistant treatments promote the functional recovery of the spinal cord.

BACKGROUND: Memory impairment is the main manifestation of Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) conspicuous in the early stage. However, such patients very often develop attentional dysfunction, which may affect their normal work and daily life.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the attentional function, including continuous attention, selective attention and divided attention, of patients with mild AD and of those with MCI.DESIGN: A case-control study.SETTING: Department of neurology of a university hospital and department of psychology in a university.PARTICIPANTS: The research was completed in the Laboratory of Neuropsychology, the First Hospital of Peking University from November 2003 to January 2004. Totally 18 patients with mild AD and 19 with MCI were enrolled in this study, with 20 normal elderly subjects also included to serve as the normal control group.INTERVENTIONS: Several tests were designed to assess the attentional functions of all the subjects, including continuous performance task (CPT) test for assessing continuous attention, simplified Stroop test for selective attention, and dual task test for divided attention.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The reaction time (RT) and the percentage of false response were recorded in CPT test and Stroop test, and performance decrement in dual task test was observed.RESULTS: In CPT test, the RT of mild AD patients was much longer, and the rates of missing and false responses were higher than those of normal control group [(539.29±103.86) vs (458.47±40.87) ms, 4.08% (3. 13, 13.64) vs0.91% (0.60, 1.90), and 1.51% (0.64, 2.54) vs 0.43% (0.37, 0. 84), respectively, P ＜ 0. 05]. The difference between MCI group and normal control group failed to reach statistical significance. The rate of missing response of all the three groups grow higher with the prolongation of time, with the highest occurring in the third 5 minutes of the test.More AD patients showed sustained attention deficiency after 10 minutes of test (33.33% within 10 minutes and 77.8% within 20 minutes). In Stroop test, all the three groups tended to make more false responses under incongruous condition[11.25% (7.50, 22.50), 2.50% ( -2.50, 5.00), 2.50% (0.00, 4. 38) ], exhibiting significant interference effect, which was the most obvious in mild AD group ( P ＜ 0.05). Patients with mild AD responded more slowly than MCI patients and normal control subjects [ (579. 19 ± 89.93) ms,(524.28 ± 68. 96) ms, (486. 75 ± 51.58) ms, respectively, P ＜ 0.05 ]. MCI group made more false responses than normal control group during the whole course of the test as well as under coincident and neutral conditions[5.83% (4. 17, 8.33) vs2.92% (1.67,3.96); 5.00% (2.50, 7.50) vs0.00% (0.00, 2.50); 5.00% (2.50, 10. 00) vs 2.50% (0.00, 5.00), P ＜ 0. 05]. In dual-task test, a significant decrement in mild AD patients was noted without statistical difference between MCI and normal control group[ 1.03 (0.49,3.75),0.46 (0.08, 1.02),0. 10 ( -0.25, 0. 64), P ＜0.05]. Within mild AD group, more patients showed deficiency in Stroop test and CPT test than in dual-task test (81.25%, 77.8%, and 29.41%, respectively).CONCLUSION: Patients with mild AD suffer impairment in continuous,selective and divided attentions, especially obvious in the former two attentional functions. MCI also impairs selective attention as compared with normal aged subjects, with the continuous and divided attention remaining normal. Mild AD patients, MCI patients and normal elderly subjects all show decreased continuous attention, and longer time (than 10 ninutes) of CPT may more sensitively identify continuous attention deficit.

BACKGROUND: Various etiological mechanisms are involved in cerebral infarction. Both free radicals and lipid peroxidation participate in the atherosclerosis and damage of neural cells after cerebral ischemia. Compound danshen(Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) is a common prescribed Chinese herb, acting on activating blood circulation and removing stasis for cerebral infarction and coronary heart disease, but its mechanism has been unknown in many aspects.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of compound danshen on neural function defect and free radicals in patients with cerebral infarction so as to probe into its possible mechanisms.DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial.SETTING: Neurological Internal Department of a hospital affiliated to one university.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 538 inpatients were collected in Neurological Internal Department of First Hospital affiliated to Jinzhou Medical College from February to December 2002, their diagnosis compiled with "Diagnostic Keys on Every Type Cerebral Vascular Disorders" adopted on the 4th National Acadenic Meeting on Cerebral Vascular Disorders, and determined by cerebral CT scan. All of those were the first attack of atherosclerosis cerebral infarction in 72 hours. The patients with cardiac infarction, heart failure, auricular fibrillation, insufficiency of liver and kidney function,hemorrhage of digestive tract, vascular dementia and bulbar paralysis and the patients who could not be well cooperated were not included. A total of 68 patients compiled with the standards, of which, 38 patients were male and 30 patients female, aged varied from 52 to 78 years, at the average of (64. 62 ±5.80) years. The patients selected were randomized into study group and the control by lot-drawing nethod according to the hospitalized sequence and volunteer principle of the control.METHODS: The basic treatment was same in two groups. In study group,compound danshen injection was added together with physiological saline 250 mL for intra-venous drip, once daily, continuous 14 days made one course. In the control, thrombosis removing injection 15 mL was added together with physiological saline 250 mL for intra-venous drip, once daily,continuous 14 days made one course.Level of serum lipoperoxide(LPO) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD).RESULTS: Statistical differences presented in declined scores of severity of neural function defect after treatment in two groups compared with their own controls(in study group: 28.62 ±6.76 vs 13.84 ± 8.16; in the control:28.58±7.05 vs 21.52±8.24, t=8.134, t=3.796 respectively, P＜ 0. 001 ). The score in study group was declined more obviously compared with the control after treatment, indicating very significant difference ( t = 3. 861, P ＜ 0. 001 ). The effective rate of compound danshen injection was 88.24% in treatment of cerebral infarction, which significantly superior to that in the control(67.65% ) (x2 =4.19, P ＜ 0.05). Compound danshen remarkably reduced serum LPO level[ (8.69 ± 1.28) nmol/L vs (5.86 ± 1.42) nmol/L, t =8. 628, P ＜ 0. 001 ] and statistical differences presented compared with the result in the control after treatment[(5.86±1.42) nmol/L vs(8.56±0.95) nmol/L, t=9.125, P ＜0.001] . Simultaneously, SOD activity in serum was significantly increased, [ (26. 25±4. 64) mkat/g vs(30. 01 ± 3.87) mkat/g, t = 3. 629, P ＜ 0. 001] indicating statistical differences compared with the result in the control after treatment[ (30. 01 ±3.87) mkat/g vs(26.33 ±4. 14) mkat/g, t =3. 778,P ＜ 0.001].CONCLUSION: Compound danshen improves significantly neural function defect in patients with cerebral infarction, with definite therapeutic effects on the treatment. It can reduce serum LPO content and increase serum SOD activity in patients with cerebral infarction. It is predicted that removing free radicals and anti-lipid peroxidation damage is probably one of the important mechanisms of it, which provides a further theoretic evidence for the treatment of cerebral infarction clinically.

BACKGROUND: The invasion of highly metastatic carcinoma cells on reconstituted basement membrane component is considered as a common model for in vitro experimental studies of invasion and metastasis of malignant tumors. It has been reported that synthetic peptide influences some tumor cells. However, the effect of synthetic peptide on highly metastatic human lung giant-cell carcinoma cell(PG) has been rarely studied.OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of synthetic peptide RGD, YIGSR and their derivatives on invasive ability of PG in vitro.DESIGN: A completely randomized controlled trial was conducted.SETTING and MATERIALS: The human lung highly metastatic tumor and NIH3T3 cell line were both supplied by the Department of Pathology of Beijing Medical University. The synthetic peptides were provided by the Synthetic Laboratory of the Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Chengde Medical College. Transwell invasion chamber was purchased from Costor Company. The whole experiment was conducted at the Department of Biochemistry of Chengde Medical College.INTERVENTIONS: NIH3T3 cell line was used to prepare chemotactic factor. PG cells were seeded in Transwell invasion chamber. Under the effect of chemotactic factor, the effects of synthetic peptides on PG invasive ability were examined.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PG cell number of passing through the reconstituted basement membrane was used as an index to evaluate the invasive ability of tumor cells.RESULTS: An appropriate number of PG cells were cultured for 10 hours with chemotactic factor, and the number ofinvasive cells reached a number range that can be applied to statistical analysis(50 to 100 invasive cells). After 100 mg/L of synthetic peptides RGD, YIGSR were incubated for 48 hours with PG cells,the rate of inhibition on invasive ability was 53.63% and 36.86% respectively, and 0% and 6.48% respectively after incubation for 10 hours.CONCLUSION: The PG cells were the proper cells for in vitro experimental studies of invasive ability of cancer cells for the purpose of screening of anti-tumor medicine. RGD and Juncha/Zacha-peptide YIGSR showed a strong activity in inhibiting tumor invasion and a potential value in prevention and treatment of malignant tumor development.