Key genes expressed in different stages of spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury ischemia/reperfusion injury

The temporal expression of microRNA after spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury is not yet fully understood. In the present study, we established a model of spinal cord ischemia in Sprague-Dawley rats by clamping the abdominal aorta for 90 minutes, before allowing reperfusion for 24 or 48 hours. A sham-operated group underwent surgery but the aorta was not clamped. The damaged spinal cord was removed for hematoxylin-eosin staining and RNA extraction. Neuronal degeneration and tissue edema were the most severe in the 24- hour reperfusion group, and milder in the 48-hour reperfusion group. RNA amplification, labeling, and hybridization were used to obtain the microRNA expression profiles of each group. Bioinformatics analysis confirmed tour differentially expressed microRNAs （miR-22-3p, miR-743b-3p, miR-201-5p and miR-144-5p） and their common target genes （Tmem69 and Cxcll0）. Compared with the sham group, miR- 22-3p was continuously upregulated in all three ischemia groups but was highest in the group with 11o reperfusion, whereas miR-743b-3p, miR-201-5p and miR-144-5p were downregulated in the three ischemia groups. We have successfully identified the key genes expressed at different stages of spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury, which provide a reference for future investigations into the mechanism of spinal cord injury.

Effects of microtubule-associated protein tau expression on neural stem cell migration after spinal cord injury

Our preliminary proteomics analysis suggested that expression of microtubule-associated protein tau is elevated in the spinal cord after injury. Therefore, the first aim of the present study was to examine tau expression in the injured spinal cord. The second aim was to determine whether tau can regulate neural stem cell migration, a critical factor in the successful treatment of spinal cord injury. We established rat models of spinal cord injury and injected them with mouse hippocampal neural stem cells through the tail vein. We used immunohistochemistry to show that the expression of tau protein and the number of migrated neural stem cells were markedly increased in the injured spinal cord. Furthermore, using a Transwell assay, we showed that neural stem cell migration was not affected by an elevated tau concentration in the outer chamber, but it was decreased by changes in intracellular tau phosphorylation state. These results demonstrate that neural stem cells have targeted migration capability at the site of injury, and that although tau is not a chemokine for targeted migration of neural stem cells, intracellular tau phosphorylation/dephosphorylation can inhibit cell migration.

Exercise promotes motor functional recovery in rats with corticospinal tract injury:anti-apoptosis mechanism

Studies have shown that exercise interventions can improve functional recovery after spinal cord injury, but the mechanism of action remains unclear. To investigate the mechanism, we estab-lished a unilateral corticospinal tract injury model in rats by pyramidotomy, and used a single pellet reaching task and horizontal ladder walking task as exercise interventions postoperatively. Functional recovery of forelimbs and forepaws in the rat models was noticeably enhanced after the exercises. Furthermore, TUNEL staining revealed signiifcantly fewer apoptotic cells in the spinal cord of exercised rats, and western blot analysis showed that spinal cord expression of the apopto-sis-related protein caspase-3 was signiifcantly lower, and the expression of Bcl-2 was signiifcantly higher, while the expression of Bax was not signiifantly changed after exercise, compared with the non-exercised group. Expression of these proteins decreased with time after injury, towards the levels observed in sham-operated rats, however at 4 weeks postoperatively, caspase-3 expression remained signiifcantly greater than in sham-operated rats. The present ifndings indicate that a re-duction in apoptosis is one of the mechanisms underlying the improvement of functional recovery by exercise interventions after corticospinal tract injury.

Large-Scale Synthesis of Porous Bi2O3 with Oxygen Vacancies for Efficient Photodegradation of Methylene Blue

Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants has become a hot research topic because of its low energy consumption and environmental-friendly characteristics.Bismuth oxide(Bi2O3)nanocrystals with a bandgap ranging from 2.0 eV to 2.8 eV have attracted increasing attention due to high activity of photodegradation of organic pollutants by utilizing visible light.Though several methods have been developed to prepare Bi2O3-based semiconductor materials over recent years,it is still difficult to prepare highly active Bi2O3 catalysts in large scale with a simple method.Therefore,developing simple and feasible methods for the preparation of Bi2O3 nanocrystals in large scale is important for the potential applications in industrial wastewater treatment.In this work,we successfully prepared porous Bi2O3 in large scale via etching commercial Bi Sn powders,followed by thermal treatment with air.The acquired porous Bi2O3 exhibited excellent activity and stability in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.Further investigation of the mechanism witnessed that the suitable band structure of porous Bi2O3 allowed the generation of reactive oxygen species,such as O2^-·and·OH,which effectively degraded MB.

Characteristics of mRNA dynamic expression related to spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury:a transcriptomics study

Following spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury,an endogenous damage system is immediately activated and participates in a cascade reaction.It is difficult to interpret dynamic changes in these pathways,but the examination of the transcriptome may provide some information.The transcriptome reflects highly dynamic genomic and genetic information and can be seen as a precursor for the proteome.We used DNA microarrays to measure the expression levels of dynamic evolution-related m RNA after spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.The abdominal aorta was blocked with a vascular clamp for 90 minutes and underwent reperfusion for 24 and 48 hours.The simple ischemia group and sham group served as controls.After rats had regained consciousness,hindlimbs showed varying degrees of functional impairment,and gradually improved with prolonged reperfusion in spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury groups.Hematoxylin-eosin staining demonstrated that neuronal injury and tissue edema were most severe in the 24-hour reperfusion group,and mitigated in the 48-hour reperfusion group.There were 8,242 differentially expressed m RNAs obtained by Multi-Class Dif in the simple ischemia group,24-hour and 48-hour reperfusion groups.Sixteen m RNA dynamic expression patterns were obtained by Serial Test Cluster.Of them,five patterns were significant.In the No.28 pattern,all differential genes were detected in the 24-hour reperfusion group,and their expressions showed a trend in up-regulation.No.11 pattern showed a decreasing trend in m RNA whereas No.40 pattern showed an increasing trend in m RNA from ischemia to 48 hours of reperfusion,and peaked at 48 hours.In the No.25 and No.27 patterns,differential expression appeared only in the 24-hour and 48-hour reperfusion groups.Among the five m RNA dynamic expression patterns,No.11 and No.40 patterns could distinguish normal spinal cord from pathological tissue.No.25 and No.27 patterns could distinguish simple ischemia from ischemia/reperfusion.No.28 pattern could analyze the need for inducing reperfusion injury.The study of specific pathways and functions for different dynamic patterns can provide a theoretical basis for clinical differential diagnosis and treatment of spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Development of water-soluble AIE-based wash-free Aβprobes superior to commercial ThT

Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a typical neurodegenerative disease.β-amyloid(AβÞplaque is the most prominent pathological biomarker associated with the progression of AD.Conventional Aβprobes,including commercial probe ThT,usually suffer from tedious washing procedures.Herein,novel AIE-active Aβprobes with excellent water solubility,named DE-V1-PYC3 and DE-V1-PYOH,were developed for the detection and image of Aβwithout tedious washing procedures.Compared with commercial probe ThT,the AIE-active Aβprobes exhibited better sensitivity and a±nity to Aβaggregates.Moreover,for ThT,the washing procedures are essential to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)images of Aβplaques in AD brain tissue slices.DE-V1-PYC3 and DE-V1-PYOH can label Aβplaques in AD brain tissue slices with high SNR even without tedious washing procedures.

Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene doped by W atoms for full-spectrum photofixation of nitrogen

Full-spectrum photofixation of N_(2) with remarkable NH_(3) production rate of 228μmol/(g·h)was achieved by W atoms doped Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene(W/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)-U)catalyst without sacrificial agents at room temperature.The effects of W doping and ultrasonic intercalation of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene were studied.Scanning transmission electron microscope,electron spin resonance spectra,X-ray photoemission spectroscopy,UV-Vis spectrophotometer,temperature programmed adsorption analyzer and density functional theory calculation were used to characterize the obtained catalysts.Results showed that Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene harvested ultraviolet-visible and near-infrared light to generate hot electrons.In addition,the doped W atoms played an effective role in adsorbing and activating N_(2) molecules by donating electrons to the anti-bonding orbital of N_(2) molecules to elongate the bond length of N≡N.

Giant schwannoma of thoracic vertebra: A case report

BACKGROUND It is relatively rare for schwannomas to invade bone,but it is very rare for a large mass to form concurrently in the paravertebral region.Surgical resection is the only effective treatment.Because of the extensive tumor involvement and the many important surrounding structures,the tumor needs to be fully exposed.Most of the tumors are completely removed by posterior combined open-heart surgery to relieve spinal cord compression,restore the stability of the spine and maximize the recovery of nerve and spinal cord function.The main objective of this article is to present a schwannoma that had invaded the T5 and T6 vertebral bodies and formed a large paravertebral mass with simultaneous invasion of the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord.CASE SUMMARY A 40-year-old female suffered from intermittent chest and back pain for 8 years.Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans showed a paravertebral tumor of approximately 86 mm×109 mm×116 mm,where the adjacent T5 and T6 vertebral bodies were invaded by the tumor,the right intervertebral foramen was enlarged,and the tumor had invaded the spinal canal to compress the thoracic medulla.The preoperative puncture biopsy diagnosed a benign schwannoma.Complete resection of the tumor was achieved by a two-step operation.In the first step,the thoracic surgeon adopted a lateral approach to separate the thoracic tumor from the lung.In the second step,a spine surgeon performed a posterior midline approach to dissect the tumor from the vertebral junction through removal of the tumor from the posterior side and further resection of the entire T5 and T6 vertebral bodies.The large bone defect was reconstructed with titanium mesh,and the posterior root arch was nail-fixed.Due to the large amount of intraoperative bleeding,we performed tumor angioembolization before surgery to reduce and avoid large intraoperative bleeding.The postoperative diagnosis of benign schwannoma was confirmed by histochemical examination.There was no sign of tumor recurrence or spinal instability during the 2-year follow-up.CONCLUSION Giant schwannoma is uncommon.In this case,a complete surgical resection of a giant thoracic nerve sheath tumor that invaded part of the vertebral body and compressed the spinal cord was safe and effective.