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Table of Content

    15 June 2013, Volume 8 Issue 17 Previous Issue    Next Issue
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    Neurotrophins differentially stimulate the growth of cochlear neurites on collagen surfaces and in gels
    Joanna Xie, Kwang Pak, Amaretta Evans, Andy Kamgar-Parsi, Stephen Fausti, Lina Mullen, Allen Frederic Ryan
    2013, 8 (17):  1541-1550.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.001
    Abstract ( 232 )   PDF (369KB) ( 949 )   Save

    The electrodes of a cochlear implant are located far from the surviving neurons of the spiral ganglion, which results in decreased precision of neural activation compared to the normal ear. If the neurons could be induced to extend neurites toward the implant, it might be possible to stimulate more discrete subpopulations of neurons, and to increase the resolution of the device. However, a major barrier to neurite growth toward a cochlear implant is the fluid filling the scala tympani, which separates the neurons from the electrodes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the growth of cochlear neurites in three-dimensional extracellular matrix molecule gels, and to increase biocompatibility by using fibroblasts stably transfected to produce neurotrophin-3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Spiral ganglion explants from neonatal rats were evaluated in cultures. They were exposed to soluble neurotrophins, cells transfected to secrete neurotrophins, and/or collagen gels. We found that cochlear neurites grew readily on collagen surfaces and in three-dimensional collagen gels. Co-culture with cells producing neurotrophin-3 resulted in increased numbers of neurites, and neurites that were longer than when explants were cultured with control fibroblasts stably transfected with green fluorescent protein. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor-producing cells resulted in a more dramatic increase in the number of neurites, but there was no significant effect on neurite length. It is suggested that extracellular matrix molecule gels and cells transfected to produce neurotrophins offer an opportunity to attract spiral ganglion neurites toward a cochlear implant.

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    Lentivirus carrying the Atoh1 gene infects normal rat cochlea
    Song Pan, Jingzhi Wan, Shaosheng Liu, Song Zhang, Hao Xiong, Jun Zhou, Wu Xiong, Kunfei Yu, Yong Fu
    2013, 8 (17):  1551-1559.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.002
    Abstract ( 222 )   PDF (285KB) ( 924 )   Save

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    Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy reduces intake of sweet-tasting solutions in rats
    Enshe Jiang, Dongming Yu, Zhifen Feng
    2013, 8 (17):  1560-1567.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.003
    Abstract ( 204 )   PDF (131KB) ( 960 )   Save

    Studies have shown that there are strong interactions between gustatory and visceral sensations in the central nervous system when rats ingest sweet foods or solutions. To investigate the role of the subdiaphragmatic vagi in transmitting general visceral information during the process of drinking sweet-tasting solutions, we examined the effects of subdiaphragmatic vagotomy on the intake of 0.5 mol/L sucrose, 0.005 mol/L saccharin or distilled water over the course of 1 hour in rats deprived of water. Results showed no significant difference in consumption of these three solutions in vagotomized rats. However, rats in the sham-surgery group drank more saccharin solution than sucrose solution or distilled water. Moreover, the intake of distilled water was similar between vagotomized rats and sham-surgery group rats, but significantly less sucrose and saccharin were consumed by vagotomized rats compared with rats in the sham-surgery group. These findings indicate that subdiaphragmatic vagotomy reduces intake of sweet-tasting solution in rats, and suggest that vagal and extravagal inputs play a balanced role in the control of the intake of sweet-tasting solutions. They also suggest that subdiaphragmatic vagotomy eliminates the difference in hedonic perception induced by sweet-tasting solutions compared with distilled water.

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    Routine exposure of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery can prevent nerve injury
    Chenling Shen, Mingliang Xiang, Hao Wu, Yan Ma, Li Chen, Lan Cheng
    2013, 8 (17):  1568-1575.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.004
    Abstract ( 205 )   PDF (231KB) ( 850 )   Save

    To determine the value of dissecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery with respect to preventing recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, we retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 5 344 patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Among these cases, 548 underwent dissection of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, while 4 796 did not. There were 12 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury following recurrent laryngeal nerve dissection (injury rate of 2.2%) and 512 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in those not undergoing nerve dissection (injury rate of 10.7%). This difference remained statistically significant between the two groups in terms of type of thyroid disease, type of surgery, and number of surgeries. Among the 548 cases undergoing recurrent laryngeal nerve dissection, 128 developed anatomical variations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (incidence rate of 23.4%), but no recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was found. In addition, the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was significantly lower in patients with the inferior parathyroid gland and middle thyroid veins used as landmarks for locating the recurrent laryngeal nerve compared with those with the entry of the recurrent laryngeal nerve into the larynx as a landmark. These findings indicate that anatomical variations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve are common, and that dissecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery is an effective means of preventing nerve injury.

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    Mechanical tension promotes skin nerve regeneration by upregulating nerve growth factor expression
    Hu Xiao, Dechang Wang, Ran Huo, Yibing Wang, Yongqiang Feng, Qiang Li
    2013, 8 (17):  1576-1581.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.005
    Abstract ( 204 )   PDF (197KB) ( 832 )   Save

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    X-irradiation for inhibiting glial scar formation in injured spinal cord
    Guangzhi Ning, Renhui Chen, Yulin Li, Qiang Wu, Qiuli Wu, Yan Li, Shiqing Feng
    2013, 8 (17):  1582-1589.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.006
    Abstract ( 332 )   PDF (370KB) ( 942 )   Save

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    Ketamine induces tau hyperphosphorylation at serine 404 in the hippocampus of neonatal rats
    Haiyan Jin, Zhiyong Hu, Mengjie Dong, Yidong Wu, Zhirui Zhu, Lili Xu
    2013, 8 (17):  1590-1596.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.007
    Abstract ( 179 )   PDF (194KB) ( 1154 )   Save

    Male Wistar 7-day-old rats were injected with 40 mg/kg ketamine intraperitoneally, followed by three additional injections of 20 mg/kg ketamine each upon restoration of the righting reflex. Neonatal rats injected with equivalent volumes of saline served as controls. Hippocampal samples were collected at 1, 7 or 14 days following administration. Electron microscopy showed that neuronal structure changed noticeably following ketamine treatment. Specifically, microtubular structure became irregular and disorganized. Quantitative real time-PCR revealed that phosphorylated tau mRNA was upregulated after ketamine. Western blot analysis demonstrated that phosphorylated tau levels at serine 396 initially decreased at 1 day after ketamine injection, and then gradually returned to control values. At 14 days after injection, levels of phosphorylated tau were higher in the ketamine group than in the control group. Tau protein phosphorylated at serine 404 significantly increased after ketamine injection, and then gradually decreased with time. However, the levels of tau protein at serine 404 were significantly greater in the ketamine group than in the control group until 14 days. The present results indicate that ketamine induces an increase of phosphorylated tau mRNA and excessive phosphorylation of tau protein at serine 404, causing disruption of microtubules in the neonatal rat hippocampus and potentially resulting in damage to hippocampal neurons.

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    Neuropeptide Y gene transfection inhibits post-epileptic hippocampal synaptic reconstruction
    Fan Zhang, Wenqing Zhao, Wenling Li, Changzheng Dong, Xinying Zhang, Jiang Wu, Na Li, Chuandong Liang
    2013, 8 (17):  1597-1605.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.008
    Abstract ( 219 )   PDF (286KB) ( 795 )   Save

    Exogenous neuropeptide Y has antiepileptic effects; however, the underlying mechanism and optimal administration method for neuropeptide Y are still unresolved. Previous studies have used intracerebroventricular injection of neuropeptide Y into animal models of epilepsy. In this study, a recombinant adeno-associated virus expression vector carrying the neuropeptide Y gene was injected into the lateral ventricle of rats, while the ipsilateral hippocampus was injected with kainic acid to establish the epileptic model. After transfection of neuropeptide Y gene, mossy fiber sprouting in the hippocampal CA3 region of epileptic rats was significantly suppressed, hippocampal synaptophysin (p38) mRNA and protein expression were inhibited, and epileptic seizures were reduced. These experimental findings indicate that a recombinant adeno-associated virus expression vector carrying the neuropeptide Y gene reduces mossy fiber sprouting and inhibits abnormal synaptophysin expression, thereby suppressing post-epileptic synaptic reconstruction.

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    Neurotoxicity of cancer chemotherapy
    Miyoung Yang, Changjong Moon
    2013, 8 (17):  1606-1614.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.009
    Abstract ( 244 )   PDF (152KB) ( 845 )   Save

    There is accumulating clinical evidence that chemotherapeutic agents induce neurological side effects, including memory deficits and mood disorders, in cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapeutic treatments. This review focuses on chemotherapy-induced neurodegeneration and hippocampal dysfunctions and related mechanisms as measured by in vivo and in vitro approaches. These investigations are helpful in determining how best to further explore the causal mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced neurological side effects and in providing direction for the future development of novel optimized chemotherapeutic agents.

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    Health-related quality of life in Parkinson’s disease patients in northeastern Sicily, Italy
    An ecological perspective
    Letteria Spadaro, Lilla Bonanno, Giuseppe Di Lorenzo, Placido Bramanti, Silvia Marino
    2013, 8 (17):  1615-1622.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.010
    Abstract ( 293 )   PDF (246KB) ( 1346 )   Save

    Parkinson’s disease has a negative impact on health-related quality of life in Parkinson’s disease patients. Depression, cognitive impairment, coping strategies, dyskinesia, gait disorders and complications of dopaminergic drugs are the variables that most affect health-related quality of life. The ecological model of human development focuses attention on both individual and social environmental factors as targets for health interventions. From this perspective, the aim of this cross-sectional survey was to evaluate the influence of gender, family size and perceived autonomy on health-related quality of life in Parkinson’s disease patients in northeastern Sicily, Italy. Ninety Parkinson’s disease patients, attending the Movement Disorders Clinic at IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo” (Messina), were consecutively enrolled. The Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subscale (UPDRS-III) scores, the Parkinson Disease Questionnaire-39 Item scores (as a disease-specific measure of health-related quality of life), scores on the Short Form (36) Health Survey Questionnaire (as a generic measure), and answers to a brief checklist were recorded.
    A total of 85 Parkinson’s disease patients (49% males and 51% females; mean age 70.8 ± 8.6 years; mean UPDRS-III 24.15 ± 6.55; mean disease duration 5.52 ± 4.65 years) completed the booklet of questionnaires. In the multivariate regression analysis, we included clinical and social variables as independent predictors of health-related quality of life. Our results suggest a potential compounding effect of ecological intrapersonal and interpersonal levels on health-related quality of life outcomes. Gender, self-evaluated autonomy and family size significantly impacted health-related quality of life. If quality of life is used as an indicator of treatment outcomes, an ecological perspective of the case history will be important to disclose relevant prognostic information and trigger personalized health care interventions.

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    An effective initial polytherapy for children with West syndrome
    Feiyong Jia, Huiyi Jiang, Lin Du, Ning Li, Ji Sun, Chunbo Niu
    2013, 8 (17):  1623-1630.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.17.011
    Abstract ( 298 )   PDF (196KB) ( 921 )   Save

    Adrenocorticotropic hormone is recommended worldwide as an initial therapy for infantile spasms. However, infantile spasms in about 50% of children cannot be fully controlled by adrenocorticotropic hormone monotherapy, seizures recur in 33% of patients who initially respond to adrenocorticotropic hormone monotherapy, and side effects are relatively common during adrenocorticotropic hormone treatment. Topiramate, vitamin B6, and immunoglobulin are effective in some children with infantile spasms. In the present study, we hypothesized that combined therapy with adrenocorticotropic hormone, topiramate, vitamin B6, and immunoglobulin would effectively treat infantile spasms and have mild adverse effects. Thus, 51 children newly diagnosed with West syndrome including infantile spasms were enrolled and underwent polytherapy with the four drugs. Electroencephalographic hypsarrhythmia was significantly improved in a majority of patients, and these patients were seizure-free, had mild side effects, and low recurrence rates. The overall rates of effective treatment and loss of seizures were significantly higher in cryptogenic children compared with symptomatic children. The mean time to loss of seizures in cryptogenic children was significantly shorter than in symptomatic patients. These findings indicate that initial polytherapy with adrenocorticotropic hormone, topiramate, vitamin B6, and immunoglobulin effectively improves the prognosis of infantile spasms, and its effects were superior in cryptogenic children to symptomatic children.

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