Background Chronic excessive exposure to fluoride can cause damage to the central nervous system and a certain degree of learning and memory impairment. However, the associated mechanism is not yet clear and further exploration is needed. Objective Using 4D unlabelled quantitative proteomics techniques to explore differentially expressed proteins and their potential mechanisms of action in chronic excessive fluoride exposure induced brain injury. Methods Twenty-four SPF-grade adult SD rats, half male and half male, were selected and divided into a control group and a fluoride group by random number table method, with 12 rats in each group. Among them, the control group drank tap water (fluorine content<1 mg·L⁻¹), the fluoride group drank sodium fluoride solution (fluorine content 10 mg·L⁻¹), and both groups were fed with ordinary mouse feed (fluoride content<0.6 mg·kg⁻¹). After 180 d of feeding, the SD rats were weighed, and then part of the brain tissue was sampled for pathological examination by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining. The rest of the brain tissue was frozen and stored at −80 ℃. Three brain tissue samples from each group were randomly selected for proteomics detection. Differentially expressed proteins were screened and subcellular localization analysis was performed, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) function analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, cluster analysis, and protein-protein interaction analysis. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of key proteins extracted from the brain tissue samples. Results After 180 d of feeding, the average weight of the rats in the fluoride group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The brain tissue stained with HE showed no significant morphological changes in the cerebral cortex of the fluoride treated rats, and neuron loss, irregular arrangement of neurons, eosinophilic changes, and cell body pyknosis were observed in the hippocampus. The Nissl staining results showed that the staining of neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats exposed to fluoride decreased (Nissl bodies decreased). The proteomics results showed that a total of 6927 proteins were identified. After screening, 206 differentially expressed proteins were obtained between the control group and the fluoride group, including 96 up-regulated proteins and 110 down-regulated proteins. The differential proteins were mainly located in cytoplasm (30.6%), nucleus (27.2%), mitochondria (13.6%), plasma membrane (13.6%), and extracellular domain (11.7%). The GO analysis results showed that differentially expressed proteins mainly participated in biological processes such as iron ion transport, regulation of dopamine neuron differentiation, and negative regulation of respiratory burst in inflammatory response, exercised molecular functions such as ferrous binding, iron oxidase activity, and cytokine activity, and were located in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum membrane, fixed components of the membrane, chloride channel complexes, and other cellular components. The KEGG significantly enriched pathways included biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. The results of differential protein-protein interaction analysis showed that the highest connectivity was found in glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (Gpi). The expression level of Gpi in the brain tissue of the rats in the fluoride group was lower than that in the control group by Western blotting (P<0.05). Conclusion Multiple differentially expressed proteins are present in the brain tissue of rats with chronic fluorosis, and their functions are related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments; Gpi may be involved in cerebral neurological damage caused by chronic overdose fluoride exposure.

Cerebral organoids are three-dimensional nerve cultures induced by embryonic stem cells(ESCs)or induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)that mimic the structure and function of human brain.With the continuous optimization of cerebral organoid culture technology and the combination with emerging technologies such as organ transplantation,gene editing and organoids-on-chip,complex brain tissue structures such as functional vascular structures and neural circuits have been produced,which provides new methods and ideas for studying human brain development and diseases.This article reviews the latest advances in brain organoid technology,describes its application in neurological diseases and advances in stroke modeling and transplantation treatment.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment(PSCI)is mainly manifested as learning and memory disorders.Highly enriched RNA m6A methylation modification in mammalian brain is involved in glial cell-mediated neuroinflammation.Given that neuroinflammation is the main mechanism for neural damage and spatial and memory impairment of PSCI,it is speculated that RNA m6A methylation modification can regulate the inflammatory response of glial cells after stroke to improve PSCI.This review summarizes and analyzes the role of RNA m6A methylation modification in the development of PSCI and analyzes its detailed mechanism of regulating glial cell-mediated inflammation,which will provide reference for researchers in this field.

BACKGROUND:Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs),as important regulators of the inflammatory response,are involved in the immune-inflammation-brain crosstalk mechanism after ischemic stroke and have the potential to become a therapeutic agent for neurological dysfunction after ischemic stroke. OBJECTIVE:To analyze and summarize the molecular mechanism of lncRNA acting on glial cells involved in the neuroimmuno-inflammatory cascade response after ischemic stroke and the associated signaling pathways,pointing out that lncRNAs have the potential to regulate inflammation after ischemic stroke. METHODS:PubMed was searched using the search terms of"ischemic stroke,long non-coding RNA,neuroinflammation,immune function,signal pathway,microglia,astrocytes,oligodendrocyte,mechanism,"and 63 relevant documents were finally included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the early stage of ischemic stroke,the death of nerve cells due to ischemia and hypoxia activates the innate immune response of the brain,promoting the secretion of inflammatory factors and inducing blood-brain barrier damage and a series of inflammatory cascades responses.As an important pathogenesis factor in ischemic stroke,the neuroimmuno-inflammatory cascade has been proved to seriously affect the prognosis of patients with ischemic stroke,and it needs to be suppressed promptly in the early stage.Neuroinflammation after ischemic stroke usually induces abnormal expression of a large number of lncRNAs that mediate a series of neuro-immune-inflammatory crosstalk mechanisms through regulating the polarization of microglia,astrocytes and oligodendrocytes to exert post-stroke neuroprotective effects.LncRNAs,as important regulatory factors of the inflammatory response,inhibit the neuroimmuno-inflammatory cascade response after ischemic stroke through regulating nuclear factor-κB,lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis,Rho-ROCK,MAPK,AKT,ERK and other signaling pathways to effectively improve neurological impairment after ischemic stroke.Most of experimental studies on the interaction between lncRNAs and ischemic stroke are based on a middle cerebral artery occlusion model or a cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury model,but no clinical trials have been conducted.Therefore,it remains to be further explored about whether lncRNAs can be safely applied in clinical practice.At present,there are many therapeutic drugs for the treatment of ischemic stroke,but there are relatively few studies on the application of lncRNAs,exosomes and other transplantation technologies for the treatment of ischemic stroke using tissue engineering technology,which need to be further explored.lncRNA has become an important target for the treatment of ischemic stroke with its relative stability and high specificity.In future studies,more types of inflammatory lncRNAs that function under ischemic-hypoxia conditions should continue to be explored,in order to provide new research directions for the treatment of neuroinflammation after ischemic stroke.

The latest research findings on bidirectional regulation of neuro-immunity through traditional neural circuits shed new light on the theoretical basis of the role of vidian neurectomy (VN). This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of VN, including the history of VN, the principle of neuroimmuno-interaction, the applied anatomy of VN as well as the methods of transnasal endoscopic surgery. Additionally, we introduce the concept of the nose-brain axis, which was proposed based on the advancement in the area of neuro-immune interactions.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has become an increasingly serious public health issue, characterized by high incidence and high disability rates. It often coexists with other mental health problems and physical diseases, with a significant negative impact on patients' quality of life. In clinical practice, MDD is considered a heterogeneous disease. The complexity of the pathological mechanisms and the variability in treatment responses lead to a lack of clear therapeutic targets, which complicates the treatment process. In recent years, with advancements in neuroscience, the crucial role of microglia in the pathogenesis of MDD has been revealed. As the main immune cells in the brain, microglia are not only involved in the regulation of neuroinflammation but also play important roles in neurogenesis and neuronal regulation in MDD. This article mainly discusses the role of microglia in the pathophysiological mechanisms of MDD, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for microglia as a potential target for the treatment of MDD.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment(PSCI)is a common complication after stroke,which significantly affects quality of life.However,the pathogenesis has not been fully explained.Increasing evidence has shown that the mechanism of programmed cell death(PCD)is related to PSCI,including apoptosis,necroptosis,pyroptosis,PANoptosis,parthanatos,and ferroptosis.Therefore,it is crucial to clearly understand the various mechanisms of PCD and their relationship with PSCI,and to elucidate the role of PCD in PSCI pathogenesis.The article reviews six PCD pathways related to PSCI,summarizes their mechanisms of action in PSCI,and elucidates the possible crosstalk among pathways to provide a basis for clinical targeting of regulatory factors in the PCD pathway for PSCI treatment.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of Ruxolitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, in combination with Methylprednisolone as a bridge to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for relapsed/refractory Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (EBV-AHS) in pediatric patients.Methods:The clinical data of 4 patients with relapsed/refractory EBV-AHS treated with Ruxolitinib in combination with Methylprednisolone as a bridge to allo-HSCT at the Department of Pediatrics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from August 2018 to February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and the disease characteristics, diagnosis and treatment process, clinical experience and related research progress were analyzed and summarized.Results:Among 4 patients with relapsed/refractory EBV-AHS, 2 patients were treated with low-dose Ruxolitinb in combination with Methylprednisolone for 6-10 weeks after partial remission.The disease did not progress, and they survived after being bridged to allo-HSCT.One patient was treated with large-dose Ruxolitinib in combination with Methylprednisolone due to the intolerance to chemotherapy, with the biochemical indicators of hemophagocytic syndrome significantly improved, and then the bridging to allo-HSCT was performed 2 months ago and this patient survived.One patient with EBV-AHS relapsed was relieved by chemotherapy again, then was given maintenance therapy with Ruxolitinib and Methylprednisolone, but the condition still progressed and the treatment was ineffective.This patient underwent allo-HSCT for salvage treatment more than 1 year ago and survived.Except that 1 patient developed mild anemia, the other 3 patients had no significant Ruxolitinib-related toxicities.Conclusions:Ruxolitinib in combination with Methylprednisolone can be safely employed as a salvage treatment for pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory EBV-AHS and a bridge to allo-HSCT, which has favorable safety, efficacy and tolerance in clinical practice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic central neurodegenerative disease. The pathological features of AD are the extracellular deposition of senile plaques formed by amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs) and the intracellular accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles formed by hyperphosphorylated tau protein. In this paper, an in vitro pathological model of AD based on neuronal network chip and its real-time dynamic analysis were presented. The hippocampal neuronal network was cultured on the microelectrode array (MEA) chip and induced by AβOs as an AD model to simultaneously record two firing patterns from the interneurons and pyramidal neurons. The spatial firing patterns mapping and cross-correlation between channels were performed to validate the degeneration of neuronal network connectivity. This biosensor enabled the detection of the AβOs toxicity responses, and the identification of connectivity and interactions between neuronal networks, which can be a novel technique in the research of AD pathological model .
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; Humans ; Neurofibrillary Tangles ; tau Proteins

Objective: To investigate the associated factors and the independent risk factors for portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in cirrhotic patients and assess the influences of anticoagulation on esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) in these patients. Methods: From January 2012 to December 2012, 239 cirrhotic patients were diagnosed in our hospital. According to the presence or absence of portal vein thrombosis (PVT), they were divided into thrombus group (33 cases) and control group (206 cases). According to the presence or absence of EGVB in thrombus group, they were divided into bleeding group (10 cases) and non bleeding group (23 cases). According to whether anticoagulant therapy was used in thrombus group, they were divided into anticoagulant group (10 cases) and non anticoagulant group (23 cases). The risk factors of each group and its control group were observed and compared. Results: The thrombus group had a lower level of the albumin (ALB) , higher level of count of platelet (PLT), diameter of main portal vein (MPV), propotion of diabetes prevalence and history of splenectomy compared with the control group (P<0.01). According to unconditional logistic regression analysis, both the PLT and the diameter of MPV were identified as independent risk factors for PVT in cirrhotic patients (P=0.009, 0.001; OR=1.006, 16.858). There were significant differences in the degree of varicose veins and the proportion of sequential endoscopic treatment between the bleeding group and the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the group treated with anticoagulant drugs and the group without anticoagulation were followed up and observed for 1 year, which showed no significant changes in the bleeding ratio between two groups [40% (4/10) versus 26.1% (6/23), P>0.05]. Conclusions ⑴ PLT, ALB, MPV, and a history of diabetes or splenectomy are risk factors for cirrhosis combined with PVT, and PLT and MPV are independent risk factors. ⑵ The incidence of EGVB increased with the increasing severity of esophagogastric varicose vein. The endoscopic variceal sequential treatment can contribute a significant reduction of EGVB in cirrhosis complicated by PVT. ⑶ Anticoagulant therapy may not raise the incidence of EGVB in cirrhotic patients with PVT.