头针对局灶性脑缺血脑微血管内皮细胞ICAM-1影响的动态观察

目的:在分子水平探讨并阐明脑缺血再灌注脑损伤的炎性机理和针刺对局灶性脑缺血模型脑微血管内皮细胞功能的动态影响。方法:采用大脑中动脉线栓阻塞法建立大鼠局灶性脑缺血模型;用免疫组化SABC法检测脑缺血后治疗1d、3d、5d、10d细胞间粘附分子-1的表达。结果:针刺不同疗程治疗各组大鼠在治疗前后的神经症状行为评定分析有显著性差异(p＜0．05);模型组ICAM-1脑缺血后ID即出现表达,5D达到表达高峰,各个时间点相比具有显著的统计学意义(P＜0．01)。结论:头针对脑缺血状态下微血管内皮细胞功能的全方位和多层面良性调节机制,并且这种良性机制随着干预时间的选择(早期/6 d)和疗程的适度延长(5天以上),具有明显的累加蓄积效应。     

芪蝎活血通络汤对局灶性脑缺血再灌注损伤模型大鼠神经功能、氧化应激及炎症因子的影响

目的:探讨芪蝎活血通络汤对局灶性脑缺血再灌注损伤模型大鼠神经功能、氧化应激及炎症因子的影响。方法:50只SD大鼠随机选取40只采用线栓法构建脑缺血再灌注模型,其中36只成功,4只死亡。随机数字表法将36只脑缺血再灌注模型大鼠分为模型组、低剂量组(芪蝎活血通络汤2.0 mg/kg灌胃处理)、中剂量组(芪蝎活血通络汤4.0 mg/kg灌胃处理)和高剂量组(芪蝎活血通络汤8.0 mg/kg灌胃处理),每组9只,剩余10只大鼠仅切开皮肤分离和夹闭血管(对照组)。建模后芪蝎活血通络汤各剂量组给予相应剂量灌胃,对照组和模型组给予同剂量生理盐水灌胃,持续4周。用药4周后测评各组大鼠神经功能缺损程度、双侧贴纸去除时间、平衡木过杆时间,并测定各组大鼠脑组织中含水量、脑梗死面积以及氧化应激[过氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-Px)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、丙二醛(MDA)]和炎症因子[白细胞介素-1β(IL-1β),白细胞介素-6(IL-6),肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)]指标。结果:与对照组比较,模型组大鼠m NSS评分、脑组织含水量、MDA含量、IL-6、IL-1β、TNF-α水平升高(P<0.05),双侧贴纸去除时间、平衡木过杆时间延长(P<0.05),脑梗死面积增大(P<0.05),SOD、GSH-Px、CAT活性降低(P<0.05);与模型组比较,芪蝎活血通络汤各剂量组大鼠m NSS评分、脑组织含水量、MDA含量、IL-6、IL-1β、TNF-α水平降低(P<0.05),双侧贴纸去除时间、平衡木过杆时间缩短(P<0.05),脑梗死面积缩小(P<0.05),SOD、GSH-Px、CAT活性升高(P<0.05);与低剂量组比较,中、高剂量组大鼠m NSS评分降低(P<0.05),双侧贴纸去除时间、平衡木过杆时间缩短(P<0.05);高剂量组大鼠脑梗死面积、脑组织MDA、IL-6、IL-1β、TNF-α低于低剂量组(P<0.05),SOD、GSH-Px、CAT高于低剂量组(P<0.05)。结论:芪蝎活血通络汤可降低大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤,改善神经功能,其治疗作用可能与抗氧化,抗炎作用有关,8.0 mg/kg剂量效果最显著。     

The use of ROI overlays and a semi-automated method for measuring cortical area in ImageJ for histological analysis

A major part of histologic studies is the use of high resolution imaging for data collection and analysis. ImageJ, a freely available software from the NIH designed for image analysis, has many features that are not well-known among bone histologists and can be incredibly beneficial in terms of stream-lining data collection and maximizing limited resources. The aims of this technical note are twofold: (a) to describe methods for image annotation and measurement using region of interest overlays in ImageJ, and (b) to present a new code for a semi-automated method of measuring cortical bone areas from high resolution cross-sectional images also using ImageJ.     

Changing expression profiles of mRNA,lncRNA, circRNA,and miRNA in lung tissue reveal the pathophysiological of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in mouse model

New perinatal care technologies have improved the survival rate of preterm neonates, but the prevalence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), one of the most intractable problems in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), remains unchanged. In present study, high-throughput sequencing (HTS) was performed to detect the expression profiles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), messenger RNAs (mRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) in hyperoxia-induced BPD mouse model. Significant differentially expressed RNAs were selected and clustered between the BPD group and the control group. The results revealed that expressions of 1778 lncRNAs, 1240 mRNAs, 97 circRNAs, and 201 miRNAs were significantly altered in the BPD group. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed to predict the potential functions of differentially expressed RNAs. lncRNA-mRNA and circRNA-miRNA coexpression networks were constructed to detect their association with the pathogenesis of BPD. Our study provides a systematic perspective on the potential function of RNAs during BPD.     

Changes in EEG Power Spectra During Biofeedback of Slow Cortical Potentials in Epilepsy

The goal of the study was to explore parallel changes in EEG spectral frequencies during biofeedback of slow cortical potentials (SCPs) in epilepsy patients. Thirty-four patients with intractable focal epilepsy participated in 35 sessions of SCP self-regulation training. The spectral analysis was carried out for the EEG recorded at the same electrode site (Cz) that was used for SCP feedback. The most prominent effect was the increase in the 2 power (6.0–7.9 Hz) and the relative power decrement in all other frequency bands (particularly 1, 2, and 2) in transfer trials (i.e., where patients controlled their SCPs without continuous feedback) compared with feedback trials. In the second half of the training course (i.e., sessions 21–35) larger power values in the , , and bands were found when patients were required to produce positive versus negative SCP shifts. Both across-subject and across-session (within-subject) correlations between spectral EEG parameters, on the one hand, and SCP data, on the other hand, were low and inconsistent, contrary to high and stable correlations between different spectral variables. This fact, as well as the lack of considerable task-dependent effects during the first part of training, indicates that learned SCP shifts did not directly lead to the specific dynamics of the EEG power spectra. Rather, these dynamics were related to nonspecific changes in patients' brain state.     

Analysis of the neuroprotective effects of various nitric oxide donor compounds in murine mixed cortical cell culture

Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in both the pathogenesis of and protection from NMDA receptor-mediated neuronal injury. This apparent paradox has been attributed to alternate redox states of nitrogen monoxide, whereby, depending on the redox milieu, nitrogen monoxide can be neuroprotective via nitrosation chemistry or react with superoxide to form secondary toxic species. In our murine mixed cortical cell culture system, the NONOate-type NO donors diethylamine/NO complex sodium (Dea/NO), (Z)-[N-(3-ammoniopropyl)-N-(n-propyl)amino]diazen-1-ium++ +-1,2-diolate (Papa/NO), and spermine/NO complex sodium (Sper/NO), as well as the S-nitrosothiols S-nitroso-L-glutathione (GSNO) and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP) (NO+ equivalents), decreased NMDA-induced neuronal injury in a concentration-dependent manner. 8-Bromo-cyclic GMP did not mimic the inhibitory effects of the donors, suggesting that the neuroprotection was not the result of NO-stimulated neuronal cyclic GMP production. Furthermore, neuronal injury induced by exposure of cultures to H2O2 was not altered by the presence of Dea/NO, indicating the absence of a direct antioxidant effect. NONOates did, however, reduce NMDA-stimulated uptake of 45Ca2+, whereas high potassium-induced 45Ca2+ accumulation, a measurement of entry via voltage-gated calcium channels, was unaffected. The parallel reduction of 45Ca2+ accumulation and NMDA neurotoxicity by NONOates mimicked that seen with an NMDA receptor antagonist. Electrochemical measurements of NO via an NO-sensitive electrode demonstrated that neuroprotective concentrations of all donors produced appreciable amounts of NO over the 5-min time frame. Determination of the formation of NO+ equivalents, as assessed by N-nitrosation of 2,3-diaminonaphthylene, revealed little or no observable N-nitrosation by Sper/NO, GSNO, and SNAP with significant N-nitrosation observed by Papa/NO and Dea/NO. However, addition of ascorbate (400 microM) effectively prevented the nitrosation of 2,3-diaminonaphthylene produced by Dea/NO and Papa/NO without altering their neuroprotective properties or their effects on 45Ca2+ accumulation. Present results indicate that the intrinsic NO/NO+ characteristics of NO donor compounds may not be a good predictor of their ability to inhibit NMDA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity at the cellular level.     

Species Survival in Fragmented Landscapes: Where to From Here?

We summarise the contributions of empiricists, modellers, and practitioners in this issue of Biodiversity and Conservation, and highlight the most important areas for future research on species survival in fragmented landscapes. Under the theme uncertainty in research and management, we highlight five areas for future research. First, we know little about the effects of density dependence on the viability of metapopulations, a requirement for fragmented landscapes. Second, successful early attempts suggest that it is worth developing more rigorous calibration methods for population viability analysis with spatially explicit, individual-based models. In particular, the balance between model complexity, ease of calibration, and precision, needs to be addressed. Third, we need to improve methods to discriminate between models, including alternatives to time-series approaches. Fourth, when our ability to reduce model uncertainty is weak, we need to incorporate this uncertainty in population viability analysis. Fifth, population viability analysis and decision analysis can be integrated to make uncertainty an explicit part of the decision process. An important future direction is extending the decision framework to adaptive management. Under the theme tools for quantifying risk and predicting species sensitivity to fragmentation, we highlight three areas for future research. First, we need to develop tools to support comparative approaches to population viability analysis. Second, population modelling can be used to find rules of thumb to support conservation decisions when very little is known about a species. Rules of thumb need to be extended to the problem of managing for multiple species. Third, species traits might be useful for predicting sensitivity but predictions could be further refined by considering the relative importance of population processes at different scales. Under the theme tools for reassembling fragmented landscapes, we consider the focal species approach, and highlight aspects of the approach that require more rigorous testing. Finally, we highlight two important areas for future research not presented in the previous themes or papers in this volume. First, we need to incorporate the deterministic effects of habitat modification into the modelling framework of population viability analysis. Second, an avenue of research that remains largely unexplored is the combination of landscape-scale experiments and population modelling, especially using data from existing fragmentation experiments and from experiments designed to test the effects of defragmenting landscapes.     

Astrocyte Mitochondria in In Vitro Models of Ischemia

There is growing evidence that preservation of mitochondrial respiratory function during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion predicts the ultimate extent of tissue injury. Because neurons are selectively vulnerable to ischemic injury, many studies have focused on neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction in ischemia. However, positron emission tomography (PET) studies in animals and humans suggest that non-neuronal cells such as astrocytes may also experience mitochondrial metabolic compromise that contributes to ischemic necrosis. Astrocytes carry out a number of functions that are critical to normal nervous system function, including uptake of neurotransmitters, regulation of pH and ion concentrations, and metabolic support of neurons. Mitochondria are important for many of these actions. We have used a cell culture model of stroke, oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), to study the response of astrocyte mitochondria to ischemia, and to evaluate how changes in astrocyte mitochondrial function might affect neuronal survival and recovery after ischemia.     

Distribution of prepubertal and adult goat oocyte cortical granules during meiotic maturation and fertilisation: ultrastructural and cytochemical study

The aim of this study was evaluate cortical granule (CG) distribution during in vitro maturation (IVM) and fertilisation of prepubertal goat oocytes compared to CG distribution of ovulated and in vitro fertilised oocytes from adult goats. Oocytes from prepubertal goats were recovered from a slaughterhouse and were matured in M199 with hormones and serum for 27 hr. Ovulated oocytes were collected from gonadotrophin treated Murciana goats. Frozen-thawed spermatozoa were selected by centrifugation in percoll gradient and were capacitated in DMH with 20% steer serum for 1 hr. Ovulated and IVM-oocytes were inseminated in DMH medium with steer serum and calcium lactate for 20 hr. Oocytes and presumptive zygotes were stained with FITC-LCA (Lens culinaris agglutinin labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate) and observed under a confocal laser scanning microscope. Ultrastructure morphology of oocytes and presumptive zygotes were analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Prepubertal goat oocytes at germinal vesicle stage show a homogeneous CG distribution in the cytoplasm. IVM-oocytes at Metaphase II (MII) and ovulated oocytes presented CGs located in the cortex with the formation of a monolayer beneath to the plasma membrane. At 20 hr postinsemination (hpi), zygotes from IVM-oocytes showed a complete CG exocytosis whereas zygotes from ovulated oocytes presented aggregates of CGs located at the cortical region. Images by TEM detected that CGs were more electrodense and compacts in oocytes from prepubertal than from adult goats.