Repetitive magnetic stimulation affects the microenvironment of nerve regeneration and evoked potentials after spinal cord injury

Repetitive magnetic stimulation has been shown to alter local blood flow of the brain, excite the corticospinal tract and muscle, and induce motor function recovery. We established a rat model of acute spinal cord injury using the modified Allen＇s method. After 4 hours of injury, rat models received repetitive magnetic stimulation, with a stimulus intensity of 35% maximum output intensity, 5-Hz frequency, 5 seconds for each sequence, and an interval of 2 minutes. This was repeated for a total of 10 sequences, once a day, 5 days in a week, for 2 consecutive weeks. After repetitive magnetic stimulation, the number of apoptotic cells decreased, matrix metalloproteinase 9/2 gene and protein expression decreased, nestin expression increased, somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials recovered, and motor function recovered in the injured spinal cord. These findings confirm that repetitive magnetic stimulation of the spinal cord improved the microenvironment of neural regeneration, reduced neuronal apoptosis, and induced neuroprotective and repair effects on the injured spinal cord.

Current status and future prospects of stem cell therapy in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder, pathologically characterized by the presence of β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Current treatment approaches using drugs only alleviate the symptoms without curing the disease, which is a serious issue and influences the quality of life of the patients and their caregivers. In recent years, stem cell technology has provided new insights into the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Currently, the main sources of stem cells include neural stem cells, embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we discuss the pathophysiology and general treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and the current state of stem cell transplantation in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. We also assess future challenges in the clinical application and drug development of stem cell transplantation as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Identification of a nine-gene prognostic signature for gastric carcinoma using integrated bioinformatics analyses

BACKGROUND Gastric carcinoma(GC)is one of the most aggressive primary digestive cancers.It has unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes and is difficult to diagnose early.AIM To identify prognostic biomarkers for GC patients using comprehensive bioinformatics analyses.METHODS Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were screened using gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases for GC.Overlapping DEGs were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses.A risk score model was then constructed and its prognostic value was validated utilizing an independent Gene Expression Omnibus dataset(GSE15459).Multiple databases were used to analyze each gene in the risk score model.High-risk score-associated pathways and therapeutic small molecule drugs were analyzed and predicted,respectively.RESULTS A total of 95 overlapping DEGs were found and a nine-gene signature(COL8A1,CTHRC1,COL5A2,AADAC,MAMDC2,SERPINE1,MAOA,COL1A2,and FNDC1)was constructed for the GC prognosis prediction.Receiver operating characteristic curve performance in the training dataset(The Cancer Genome Atlas-stomach adenocarcinoma)and validation dataset(GSE15459)demonstrated a robust prognostic value of the risk score model.Multiple database analyses for each gene provided evidence to further understand the nine-gene signature.Gene set enrichment analysis showed that the high-risk group was enriched in multiple cancer-related pathways.Moreover,several new small molecule drugs for potential treatment of GC were identified.CONCLUSION The nine-gene signature-derived risk score allows to predict GC prognosis and might prove useful for guiding therapeutic strategies for GC patients.

Senegenin inhibits neuronal apoptosis after spinal cord contusion injury

Senegenin has been shown to inhibit neuronal apoptosis,thereby exerting a neuroprotective effect.In the present study,we established a rat model of spinal cord contusion injury using the modified Allen＇s method.Three hours after injury,senegenin（30 mg/g） was injected into the tail vein for 3 consecutive days.Senegenin reduced the size of syringomyelic cavities,and it substantially reduced the number of apoptotic cells in the spinal cord.At the site of injury,Bax and Caspase-3 m RNA and protein levels were decreased by senegenin,while Bcl-2 m RNA and protein levels were increased.Nerve fiber density was increased in the spinal cord proximal to the brain,and hindlimb motor function and electrophysiological properties of rat hindlimb were improved.Taken together,our results suggest that senegenin exerts a neuroprotective effect by suppressing neuronal apoptosis at the site of spinal cord injury.

Diffusion tensor imaging of spinal microstructure in healthy adults： improved resolution with the readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains

Diffusion tensor imaging plays an important role in the accurate diagnosis and prognosis of spinal cord diseases. However, because of technical limitations, the imaging sequences used in this technique cannot reveal the fine structure of the spinal cord with precision. We used the readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains（RESOLVE） sequence in this cross-sectional study of 45 healthy volunteers aged 20 to 63 years. We found that the RESOLVE sequence significantly increased the resolution of the diffusion images and improved the median signal-to-noise ratio of the middle（C4–6） and lower（C7–T1） cervical segments to the level of the upper cervical segment. In addition, the values of fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity were significantly higher in white matter than in gray matter. Our study verified that the RESOLVE sequence could improve resolution of diffusion tensor imaging in clinical applications and provide accurate baseline data for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical spinal cord diseases.