B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), both members of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily, share strong homology. As lymphocyte co-stimulators, BLyS/APRIL can regulate a variety of biological functions, including cell differentiation, proliferation, survival, and especially regulate immune functions of B cells and T cells. BLyS/APRIL plays an important role in the occurrence and development of neuroimmune diseases such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis. This paper aims to improve the understanding of BLyS/APRIL and its role in neuroimmune diseases.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is regarded as a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to demyelination and eventually to neurodegeneration. Activation of innate immune cells and other inflammatory cells in the brain and spinal cord of people with MS has been well described. However, with the innovation of technology in glial cell research, we have a deep understanding of the mechanisms of glial cells connecting inflammation and neurodegeneration in MS. In this review, we focus on the role of glial cells, including microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, in the pathogenesis of MS. We mainly focus on the connection between glial cells and immune cells in the process of axonal damage and demyelinating neuron loss.
Humans ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Neuroglia ; Inflammation/pathology* ; Brain/pathology* ; Spinal Cord/pathology*

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are a group of autoimmune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, characterized by optic nerve and spinal cord lesions, with high chance of recurrence and disability. Disease-modifying therapy, including immunosuppressants, monoclonal antibodies, stem cell transplantation etc., is the key to prevent recurrence. This article made a systematic review about the sequential treatment or prognosis of NMOSD by searching for the related articles published on PubMed from 2017 to 2022 to provide recommendations and references for disease-modifying therapy of NMOSD.

Myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a recently-established autoimmune central nervous system demyelinating disease, characterized by the detection of serum anti-myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody of IgG1 type. Sharing similar clinical manifestations with multiple sclerosis and aquaporin-4 antibody positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, it has yet demonstrated a unique disease course, pathological and radiological features. Therefore, MOGAD should be regarded as a disease entity to carry out further investigation. This review intends to summarize its pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment progresses, so as to provide guidance for clinical practice.

In recent years, the number of patients who have lost their mobility due to neurological diseases such as stroke and spinal cord injury has been increasing. Guidelines state that early and scientific rehabilitation training is essential to improve prognosis and quality of life. However, existing rehabilitation methods rely on therapists to train one-on-one or many-to-one, which is not sufficient to meet clinical needs. As a new technology, the exoskeleton robot provides a unique rehabilitation program for patients with lower limb movement disorders, which has become a hot research topic at home and abroad, and related clinical research is also being carried out rapidly. This review summarizes the clinical research progress of exoskeleton robots in patients with lower limb movement disorders caused by nervous system damage in the past ten years, and the prospect of research, development, and clinical promotion about exoskeleton robots.

Objective: To investigate the metabolic patterns of ¹¹C-2-beta-carbomethoxy-3-beta-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane (CFT) and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT imaging in patients with tremor and non-tremor Parkinson′s disease (PD). Methods: From March 2018 to March 2019, 28 PD patients (19 tremor patients: 14 males and 5 females, age: (59.9±11.4) years; 9 non-tremor patients: 3 males and 6 females, age: (62.6±9.0) years) were enrolled. For the two groups, the ¹¹C-CFT uptake values in caudate nucleus, anterior putamen and posterior putamen as well as ¹⁸F-FDG uptake values in all brain regions were calculated by regions of interest (ROI) method. Two-sample t test or Mann-Whitney u test were used to analyze the data. Results: Caudate nucleus ¹¹C-CFT uptake in PD patients with tremor was higher than that without tremor (3.03±0.51 vs 2.60±0.62; t=2.687, P<0.05). Yet thalamus glucose uptake of non-tremor PD patients showed more active than tremor patients (1.14±0.05 vs 1.10±0.03; t=3.449, P<0.01). Sorted by modified Hoehn-Yahr stage, tremor patients in advanced stage (stage≥2.5) were characterized by glucose uptake increase in the putamen and cerebellum compared with non-tremor advanced group (1.27±0.04 vs 1.21±0.05, 0.94±0.04 vs 0.86±0.08; t values: 2.695 and 2.492, both P<0.05). Metabolic decrease in the premotor areas was observed in tremor patients in advanced stage compared with early stage (1.07±0.02 vs 1.10±0.03; t=2.053, P<0.05). Conclusion ¹¹C-CFT and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging can indicate different metabolic patterns between tremor and non-tremor PD, thus providing information for clinical practice and differential diagnosis.

Objective To determine the correlation between aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab) and optic neuropathy in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).Methods The clinical and biochemical data of 53 patients with NMOSD diagnosis based on AQP4-Ab level in Changhai Hospital between January 2010 and October 2015 were retrospectively analyzed.According to optic neuropathy occurrence,the NMOSD patients were divided into optic neuropathy and non-optic neuropathy groups.Clinical and biochemical characteristics were compared between the two groups.According to the serum AQP4-Ab levels,the NMOSD patients were divided into AQP4-Ab seropositive and seronegative groups.The incidence of optic neuropathy was compared between the two groups.The correlation between optic neuropathy and AQP4-Ab levels was analyzed.Results Between the optic neuropathy and non-optic neuropathy groups,no significant differences in sex,age at onset,disease course,serum alanine aminotransferase levels,protein levels in cerebral spinal fluid,IgG index,and oligoclonal band were observed (P ＞ 0.05).However,statistically significant differences were found in frequency,superficial sensory impairment,serum creatinine level,and serum AQP4-Ab level (P ＜ 0.05).Between the AQP4-Ab sempositive and semnegative groups,a statistically significant difference in the incidence of optic neuropathy was observed (F =4.93,P ＜ 0.05).The incidence of optic neuropathy positively correlated with AQP4-Ab levels (r =0.297,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion NMOSD patients with AQP4-Ab seropositivity could be prone to optic neuropathy,and the correlation may be beneficial to early diagnosis,therapy,and monitoring of NMOSD.

Objective·To eliminate the effects of intraperitoneal injection of transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor-Ig (TACI-Ig) on the opitc neuritis and the integrity of myelin sheath in mice.Methods·Twenty-four C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups,which were blank control group,saline control group,low-dose (0.4 mg/kg) TACI-Ig group and high-dose (4 mg/kg) TACI-Ig group,with 6 mice in each group.All groups were received intraperitoneal injection every other day.The saline control group received 0.2 mL saline injection in the same way,and the blank control group was not given any intervention.After 20 d of treatment,the eyeballs and optic nerve tissues were collected from each mouse under anaesthesia,embedded in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) and Luxol fast blue (LFB),respectively.Results·H-E staining indicated that optic nerve fibers arranged closely both in blank and saline control groups and the staining of tissues was uniform.The optic nerve structure of low-dose TACI-Ig group was similar to blank and saline control groups,while in high-dose of TACI-Ig group,the infiltration of inflammatory cells was observed.The inflammatory cell infiltration scores were not significantly different in all groups (P=0.610 3).The retinal structures of all groups were clear and distinct to observe,and single ganglion cells arranged tightly with complete cell shape,visible nucleus and uniform distribution.There was no difference in the retina structure among 4 groups.LFB staining indicated that there was no significant loss of the optic nerve myelin in 4 groups by microscope observation (P=0.473 6).Conclusion·Low-dose (0.4 mg/kg) TACI-Ig injection wouldn't damage the normal structure of optic nerves and retinal ganglion cells,meanwhile high-dose (4 mg/kg) of TACI-Ig injection might cause minor infiltration of inflammatory cells into retina.

Objective To explore the association between the cholesterol level and disease relapse in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD). Methods Clinical and biochemical data of 96 patients with NMOSD were retrospectively analyzed. According to disease relapses, NMOSD patients were divided into primary and relapse groups.Their clinical characteristics and cholesterol level were compared between the two groups.The correlation between cholesterol level and disease recurrence was analyzed by partial correlation adjusted for sex. Results Between the primary group and relapse group,there were statistically significant differences in gender(48.8% vs. 80%, P<0.05), cholesterol (CHO)(4.27±0.85 vs. 5.18±1.26)and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)level[2.37(0.90)vs. 3.00 (1.21)](P<0.001). There were no significant difference in age, upper respiratory infection, gastrointestinal tract, rate of higher cerebrospinal fluid protein, triglyceride (TG)and high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)(P>0.05). The percentage of recurrent patients in CHO normal and higher groups were 43.55% and 82.35% respectively, which was statistically significant difference between the two groups ( x2=13.51, P<0.01); The rate of relapse of LDL-C normal and higher groups were 47.69% and 75% respectively, which was statistically significant difference between the two groups ( x2=7.58,P<0.01).After adjusting for sex,CHO level was positively correlated with disease relapse(r=0.346,P<0.01),and LDL-C level also was positively correlated with disease relapse(r=0.380,P<0.01). Conclusion High CHO and LDL-C level may be associated with disease relapse, which has some clinical guiding significance for controlling CHO level in NMOSD patients.

OBJECTIVE: To study whether the effects of olanzapine on gastrointestinal motility is related to the serotonin antagonism and myosin light chain kinase. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups. Olanzapine gavage was performed for each treatment group during the course of 30 continuous days, while the same volume of saline was given to the rats in the control group. Defecation of the rats was observed on days 7 and 30 after olanzapine gavage. The effects of olanzapine on contraction of colonic smooth muscles were observed in ex vivo experiments. A Western blot was used to evaluate expression levels of the serotonin transporter (SERT) and MLCK in colon segments of the rats. RESULTS: ResultsaaCompared to the control group, 5-160 µM of olanzapine could inhibit dose-dependently the contraction of colonic smooth muscle ex vivo experiments. The maximum smooth muscle contraction effects of 5-HT and acetylcholine significantly decreased after treatment with 40-160 µM of olanzapine. Constipation was found in the olanzapine-treated rats on day 7 and have sustained day 30 after gavage. Expression of MLCK in olanzapine-treated rats was significantly decreased, whereas the expression of SERT significantly increased on the day 7, then significantly decreased on the day 30 after olanzapine gavage. CONCLUSION: SERT and MLCK may involve in the inhibition of colonic contraction induced by olanzapine.
Acetylcholine ; Animals ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Blotting, Western ; Colon* ; Constipation ; Defecation ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; Humans ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myosin Light Chains* ; Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase* ; Myosins* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins ; Serotonin*