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05 January 2012, Volume 7 Issue 1    Next Issue

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Functional proteomics of adenosine triphosphatase system in the rat striatum during aging Roberto Federico Villa, Federica Ferrari, Antonella Gorini 2012, 7 (1):  6-12.  Abstract ( 210 )   PDF (138KB) ( 921 )   Save The maximum rates of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) systems related to energy consumption were systematically evaluated in synaptic plasma membranes isolated from the striata of male Wistar rats aged 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, because of their key role in presynaptic nerve ending homeostasis. The following enzyme activities were evaluated: sodium-potassium-magnesium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+, K+, Mg2+-ATPase); ouabain-insensitive magnesium adenosine triphosphatase (Mg2+-ATPase); sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+, K+-ATPase); direct magnesium adenosine triphosphatase (Mg2+-ATPase); calcium-magnesium adenosine triphosphatase (Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase); and acetylcholinesterase. The results showed that Na+, K+-ATPase decreased at 18 and 24 months, Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase and acetylcholinesterase decreased from 6 months, while Mg2+-ATPase was unmodified. Therefore, ATPases vary independently during aging, suggesting that the ATPase enzyme systems are of neuropathological and pharmacological importance. This could be considered as an experimental model to study regeneration processes, because of the age-dependent modifications of specific synaptic plasma membranes. ATPases cause selective changes in some cerebral functions, especially bioenergetic systems. This could be of physiopathological significance, particularly in many central nervous system diseases, where, during regenerative processes, energy availability is essential. Related Articles | Metrics

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Experience-dependent expression of Nogo-A and Nogo receptor in the developing rat visual cortex Xiaoying Wu, Yulin Luo, Shuangzhen Liu, Kuanshu Li 2012, 7 (1):  13-17.  Abstract ( 221 )   PDF (187KB) ( 829 )   Save Nogo-A and Nogo receptor (NgR) expression in the visual cortex following a critical developmental period (postnatal days 20-60) has been previously shown. However, little is known regarding Nogo-A and NgR expression between postnatal day 0 and initiation of the critical period. The present study analyzed Nogo-A and NgR expression at four different time points: postnatal day 0 (P0), before critical period (P14), during critical period (P28), and after critical period (P60). Results showed significantly increased Nogo-A mRNA and protein expression levels in the visual cortex following birth, and expression levels remained steady between P28 and P60. NgR mRNA or protein expression was dramatically upregulated with age and peaked at P14 or P28, respectively, and maintained high expression to P60. In addition, Nogo-A and NgR expression was analyzed in each visual cortex layer in normal developing rats and rats with monocular deprivation. Monocular deprivation decreased Nogo-A and NgR mRNA and protein expression in the rat visual cortex, in particular in layers II-III and IV in the visual cortex contralateral to the deprived eye. These findings suggested that Nogo-A and NgR regulated termination of the critical period in experience- dependent visual cortical plasticity. Related Articles | Metrics

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Dark rearing maintains tyrosine hydroxylase expression in retinal amacrine cells following optic nerve transection Wei Wan, Zhenghai Liu, Xiaosheng Wang, Xuegang Luo 2012, 7 (1):  18-23.  Abstract ( 255 )   PDF (280KB) ( 815 )   Save The present study examined changes in retinal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in rats having undergone optic nerve transection and housed under a normal day/night cycle or in the dark. The aim was to investigate the effects of amacrine cells on axonal regeneration in retinal ganglion cells and on the synapses that transmit visual signals. The results revealed that retinal TH expression gradually decreased following optic nerve transection in rats housed under a normal day/night cycle, reaching a minimum at 5 days. In contrast, retinal TH expression decreased to a minimum at 1 day following optic nerve transection in dark reared rats, gradually increasing afterward and reaching a normal level at 5-7 days. The number of TH-positive synaptic particles correlated with the TH levels, indicating that dark rearing can help maintain TH expression during the synaptic degeneration stage (5-7 days after optic nerve injury) in retinal amacrine cells. Related Articles | Metrics

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3-[3-(3-florophenyl-2-propyn-1-ylthio)-1, 2, 5-thiadiazol-4-yl]-1, 2, 5, 6-tetrahydro-1- methylpyridine oxalate, a novel xanomeline derivative, improves neural cells proliferation and survival in adult mice Xiaoliang Zhang, Qiang Gong, Shuang Zhang, Lin Wang, Yinghe Hu, Haiming Shen, Suzhen Dong 2012, 7 (1):  24-30.  Abstract ( 251 )   PDF (250KB) ( 761 )   Save The present study analyzed the influence of 3-[3-(3-florophenyl-2-propyn-1-ylthio)-1, 2, 5-thiadiazol-4-yl]-1, 2, 5, 6-tetrahydro-1-methylpyridine oxalate (EUK1001), a novel xanomeline derivative of the M1/M4 receptor agonist, on hippocampal neurogenesis in adult C57BL6 mice. Results showed that 15-day EUK1001 treatment via intraperitoneal injection promoted neural cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus, although cell differentiation did not change. The majority of bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells co-expressed the immature neuronal marker doublecortin. In addition, the level of neurogenesis in the subventricular zone was not altered. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression was up-regulated following EUK1001 treatment, but no change was observed in expression of camp-responsive element binding protein 1, paired box gene 6, vascular endothelial growth factor alpha, neurogenic differentiation factor 1, and wingless-related mouse mammary tumor virus integration site 3A mRNA. These experimental findings indicated that EUK1001 enhanced proliferation and survival of hippocampal cells, possibly by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. Related Articles | Metrics

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Morphological and migratory alterations in retinal Müller cells during early stages of hypoxia and oxidative stress Xiaohui Zhang, Zhaohui Feng, Chunhua Li, Yuping Zheng 2012, 7 (1):  31-35.  Abstract ( 203 )   PDF (390KB) ( 884 )   Save In the present study, retinal Müller cells were cultured in vitro and treated with hydrogen peroxide (oxidative stressor) and cobalt chloride (hypoxic injury). Following 24 hours of culture, compensatory hypertrophy was observed and cellular apoptosis increased. Hypoxia enhanced the migration ability of retinal Müller cells and induced the expression of α-smooth muscle actin. Oxidative stress altered the morphology of Müller cells when compared with hypoxia treatment. Related Articles | Metrics

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Morphology cluster and prediction of growth of human brain pyramidal neurons Chao Yu, Zengxin Han, Wencong Zeng, Shenquan Liu 2012, 7 (1):  36-40.  Abstract ( 186 )   PDF (151KB) ( 833 )   Save Predicting neuron growth is valuable to understand the morphology of neurons, thus it is helpful in the research of neuron classification. This study sought to propose a new method of predicting the growth of human neurons using 1 907 sets of data in human brain pyramidal neurons obtained from the website of NeuroMorpho.Org. First, we analyzed neurons in a morphology field and used an expectation-maximization algorithm to specify the neurons into six clusters. Second, naive Bayes classifier was used to verify the accuracy of the expectation-maximization algorithm. Experiment results proved that the cluster groups here were efficient and feasible. Finally, a new method to rank the six expectation-maximization algorithm clustered classes was used in predicting the growth of human pyramidal neurons. Related Articles | Metrics

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Human amniotic epithelial cells express specific markers of nerve cells and migrate along the nerve fibers in the corpus callosum Zhiyuan Wu, Guozhen Hui, Yi Lu, Tianjin Liu, Qin Huang, Lihe Guo 2012, 7 (1):  41-45.  Abstract ( 279 )   PDF (332KB) ( 802 )   Save Human amniotic epithelial cells were isolated from a piece of fresh amnion. Using immunocytochemical methods, we investigated the expression of neuronal phenotypes (microtubule-associated protein-2, glial fibrillary acidic protein and nestin) in human amniotic epithelial cells. The conditioned medium of human amniotic epithelial cells promoted the growth and proliferation of rat glial cells cultured in vitro, and this effect was dose-dependent. Human amniotic epithelial cells were further transplanted into the corpus striatum of healthy adult rats and the grafted cells could integrate with the host and migrate 1-2 mm along the nerve fibers in corpus callosum. Our experimental findings indicate that human amniotic epithelial cells may be a new kind of seed cells for use in neurograft. Related Articles | Metrics

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Transplantation of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for traumatic brain injury Jindou Jiang, Xingyao Bu, Meng Liu, Peixun Cheng 2012, 7 (1):  46-53.  Abstract ( 231 )   PDF (355KB) ( 861 )   Save Results from the present study demonstrated that transplantation of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into the lesion site in rat brain significantly ameliorated brain tissue pathological changes and brain edema, attenuated glial cell proliferation, and increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. In addition, the number of cells double-labeled for 5-bromodeoxyuridine/glial fibrillary acidic protein and cells expressing nestin increased. Finally, blood vessels were newly generated, and the rats exhibited improved motor and cognitive functions. These results suggested that transplantation of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells promoted brain remodeling and improved neurological functions following traumatic brain injury. Related Articles | Metrics

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Ultrasound microbubbles combined with liposome-mediated pNogo-R shRNA delivery into neural stem cells Weixia Ye, Xueping Huang, Yangyang Sun, Hao Liu, Jin Jiang, Youde Cao 2012, 7 (1):  54-59.  Abstract ( 255 )   PDF (275KB) ( 864 )   Save In the present study, ultrasound-mediated microbubble destruction (UMMD) alone and combined with liposome technology was used as a novel nonviral technique to transfect a Nogo receptor (Nogo-R) shRNA plasmid (pNogo-R shRNA) into neural stem cells (NSCs). Using green fluorescent protein as a reporter gene, transfection efficiency of NSCs was significantly higher in the group transfected with UMMD combined with liposomes compared with that of the group transfected with UMMD or liposomes alone, and did not affect cell vitality. In addition, Nogo-R mRNA and protein expression was dramatically decreased in the UMMD combined with liposome-mediated group compared with that of other groups after 24 hours of transfection. The UMMD technique combined with liposomes is a noninvasive gene transfer method, which showed minimal effects on cell viability and effectively increased transfer of Nogo-R shRNA into NSCs. Related Articles | Metrics

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Chondroitinase ABC improves recovery of long sciatic nerve defects Hailong Yu, Liangbi Xiang, Wenjing Xu, Bin Zhao, Yu Wang, Jiang Peng, Shibi Lu 2012, 7 (1):  61-65.  Abstract ( 219 )   PDF (208KB) ( 880 )   Save Sciatic nerves from allogeneic Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with chondroitinase ABC and were used to bridge damaged sciatic nerves in Wistar rats. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans were removed from the chemically extracted acellular nerves. At 3 months after grafting, the footplate pinch test result was positive in the Wistar rats. Autotomy scores decreased, and increased muscular contraction tension appeared when triceps surae muscles were stimulated. In addition, the recovery rate of wet triceps surae muscle weight increased, and the distal segment of the chondroitinase ABC-treated graft exhibited Schwann cells next to the nerve fibers. These results suggested that chondroitinase ABC pretreatment enhanced repair of long nerve defects via acellular nerve grafting. Related Articles | Metrics

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Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative illness, is the most common form of dementia. So far, there is neither an effective prevention nor a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. In recent decades, stem cell therapy has been one of the most promising treatments for Alzheimer’s disease patients. This article aims to summarize the current progress in the stem cell treatments for Alzheimer’s disease from an experiment to a clinical research. Jun Tang 2012, 7 (1):  66-71.  Abstract ( 259 )   PDF (201KB) ( 796 )   Save Related Articles | Metrics

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Scientific literature on monosialoganglioside in the Science Citation Index-Expanded A bibliometric analysis of articles from 1942 to 2011 by each decade Yanli Xu, Miaojing Li, Zhijun Liu, Ruichun Liu, Jianzhong Zhang 2012, 7 (1):  72-79.  Abstract ( 192 )   PDF (397KB) ( 770 )   Save BACKGROUND: The monosialoganglioside (GM1) is a popular topic of research but the bibliometric analysis of GM1 over the decades in Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To identify the global research and to improve the understanding of research trends in the GM1 field from 1942 to 2011. DESIGN: A bibliometric study. DATA RETRIEVAL: We performed a bibliometric analysis based on the SCI-E published by the Institute of Scientific Information. INCLUSIVE CRITERIA: Articles closely related to GM1 were included. Exclusive criteria: (1) Articles related to gangliosidosis, disialo-ganglioside, trisialo-ganglioside or ganglioside GQIb. (2) Document types such as meeting abstracts, reviews, proceedings papers, notes, and letters. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Type of publication output; (2) number of author outputs; (3) distribution of output in subject categories; (4) publication distribution of countries; (5) distribution of output in journals, and (6) distribution of citations in each decade. RESULTS: During 1942 to 2011, there were 10 126 papers on GM1 that were added to the SCI. Articles (8 004) were the most frequently used document type comprising 79.0%, followed by meeting abstracts, reviews and proceedings papers. Research on GM1 could be found in the SCI from 1942, it was developed in the 1970s, greatly increased in the 1980s, and reached a peak in the 1990s, and it was slightly decreased in 2000. The distribution of subject categories showed that GM1 research covered both clinical and basic science research. The USA, Japan, and Germany were the three most productive countries, and the publication numbers in the USA were highest in all decades. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Neurochemistry and Biochemistry were core subject journals in GM1 studies in each decade. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the topics in GM1 research that are being published around the world. Related Articles | Metrics