Application of Positron Emission Tomography in the Detection of Myocardial Metabolism in Pig Ventricular Fibrillation and Asphyxiation Cardiac Arrest Models after Resuscitation

Objective To study the application of positron emission tomography （PET） in detection of myocardia metabolism in pig ventricular fibrillation and asphyxiation cardiac arrest models after resuscitation. Methods Thirty-two healthy miniature pigs were randomized into a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest （VFCA） group （n=16） and an asphyxiation cardiac arrest （ACA） group （n=16）. Cardiac arrest （CA） was induced by programmed electric stimulation or endotracheal tube clamping followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation （CPR） and defibrillation. At four hours and 24 h after spontaneous circulation was achieved, myocardial metabolism was assessed by PET. 18F-FDG myocardial uptake in PET was analyzed and the maximum standardized uptake value （SUVmax） was measured. Results Spontaneous circulation was 200% and 62.5% in VFCA group and ACA group, respectively. PET demonstrated that the myocardial metabolism injuries was more severe and widespread after ACA than after VFCA. The SUVrnax was higher in VFCA group than in ACA group （P〈0.01）. In VFCA group, SUVmax at 24 h after spontaneous circulation increased to the level of baseline. Conclusion ACA causes more severe cardiac metabol associated with less successful resuscitation. Myocardial sm injuries than VFCA. Myocardial dysfunction is stunning does occur with VFCA but not with ACA.

Long-term acupuncture treatment has a multitargeting regulation on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer＇s disease：a positron emission tomography study

The acute effect of acupuncture on Alzheimer＇s disease,i.e.,on brain activation during treatment,has been reported.However,the effect of long-term acupuncture on brain activation in Alzheimer＇s disease is unclear.Therefore,in this study,we performed long-term needling at Zusanli（ST36）or a sham point（1.5 mm lateral to ST36）in a rat Alzheimer＇s disease model,for 30 minutes,once per day,for 30 days.The rats underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scanning.Positron emission tomography images were processed with SPM2.The brain areas activated after needling at ST36 included the left hippocampus,the left orbital cortex,the left infralimbic cortex,the left olfactory cortex,the left cerebellum and the left pons.In the sham-point group,the activated regions were similar to those in the ST36 group.However,the ST36 group showed greater activation in the cerebellum and pons than the sham-point group.These findings suggest that long-term acupuncture treatment has targeted regulatory effects on multiple brain regions in rats with Alzheimer＇s disease.

Are human dental papilla-derived stem cell and human brain-derived neural stem cell transplantations suitable for treatment of Parkinson’s disease?

Transplantation of neural stem cells has been reported as a possible approach for replacing impaired dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we tested the efficacy of early-stage human dental papilla-derived stem cells and human brain-derived neural stem cells in rat models of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinson＇s disease. Rats received a unilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine into right medial forebrain bundle, followed 3 weeks later by injections of PBS, early-stage human dental papilla-derived stem cells, or human brain-derived neural stem cells into the ipsilateral striatum. All of the rats in the human dental papilla-derived stem cell group died from tumor formation at around 2 weeks following cell transplantation. Postmortem examinations revealed homogeneous malignant tumors in the striatum of the human dental papilla-derived stem cell group. Stepping tests revealed that human brain-derived neural stem cell transplantation did not improve motor dysfunction. In apomorphine-induced rotation tests, neither the human brain-derived neural stem cell group nor the control groups （PBS injection） demonstrated significant changes. Glucose metabolism in the lesioned side of striatum was reduced by human brain-derived neural stem cell transplantation. [18F]-FP-CIT PET scans in the striatum did not demonstrate a significant increase in the human brain-derived neural stem cell group. Tyrosine hydroxylase （dopaminergic neuronal marker） staining and G protein-activated inward rectifier potassium channel 2 （A9 dopaminergic neuronal marker） were positive in the lesioned side of striatum in the human brain-derived neural stem cell group. The use of early-stage human dental papilla-derived stern cells confirmed its tendency to form tumors. Human brain-derived neural stem cells could be partially differentiated into dopaminergic neurons, but they did not secrete dopamine.