Stem cells in neuroinjury and neurodegenerative disorders: challenges and future neurotherapeutic prospects

The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases and neural injury disorders is increasing worldwide. Research is now focusing on improving current neurogenesis techniques including neural stem cell therapy and other biochemical drug-based approaches to ameliorate these disorders. Unfortunately, we are still facing many obstacles that are rendering current neurotherapies ineffective in clinical trials for reasons that are yet to be discovered. That is why we should start by fully understanding the complex mechanisms of neurogenesis and the factors that affect it, or else, all our suggested therapies would fail since they would not be targeting the essence of the neurological disorder but rather the symptoms. One possible paradigm shift is to switch from neuroprotectant therapies towards neurodegeneration/neurorestorative approaches. In addition, other and our laboratories are increasingly focusing on combining the use of pharmacological agents（such as Rho-associated kinase（ROCK） inhibitors or other growth factors（such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor（BDNF）） and stem cell treatment to enhance the survivability and/or differentiation capacity of transplanted stem cells in neurotrauma or other neurodegeneration animal models. Ongoing stem cell research is surely on the verge of a breakthrough of multiple effective therapeutic options for neurodegenerative disorders. Once, we fully comprehend the process of neurogenesis and its components, we will fully be capable of manipulating and utilizing it. In this work, we discuss the current knowledge of neuroregenerative therapies and their associated challenges.

Relationship of trait anger with quality of life and anger control among alcohol users

Background: Abstinence and anger control are promoted as ways to improve quality of life. Trait anger has been seen as one casual factor for alcohol related aggression and poor quality of life. The present study assesses anger control, quality of life and its relation with trait anger among alcohol dependents, abstainers & social drinkers. Material & Method: 150 subjects (50 subjects in each group) in the age range of 20 - 45 years were taken for the study. Semi-structured interview schedule, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, WHOQOL-BREF were administered in individual setting. Results: Dependent alcohol users and abstainers reported the significant impact of alcohol use on family & occupational functioning. Quality of life has correlation with anger control (in/out), trait anger, temperament & reaction in the control & abstainers group, whereas quality of life has negative correlation with trait anger expression among the alcohol group. Conclusions: Alcohol use has been associated with the trait anger expression and poor quality of life. It has implications for promoting alcohol abstinence, in improving quality of life and in anger control.

Original and Simple Protocol for Withdrawal of Benzodiazepines to Achieve Sustained Remission

Benzodiazepines are psychotropic medications for effective management of anxiety. However, after over 50 years of unrestrained prescription use, prescribers realize the severity of side effects in select patients. The most challenging of these side effects is the emergence of a physiological dependence that explains virtual impossibility of successful withdrawal that can ensure sustained abstinence. We propose a method for successful withdrawal using substitution and innovative downward tapering of diazepam oral solution for all benzodiazepines to attain sustained remission. Our protocol reported here allowed not only successful withdrawal for all of 20 patients included in this pilot study but also helped in totally weaning them off of benzodiazepines demonstrating absence of relapse even 2 years after the total discontinuance.

The Association Between Epoxide Hydrolase Genetic Variant and Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy in a Han Chinese Population

Dear Editor, Nicotine is a psychoactive alkaloid that is thought to play a key role in addiction to commercial tobacco products [1] and cotinine is its primary metabolite [2]. Pharmacological treatment, such as nicotine replacement therapy （NRT）, is a valid solution to this problem. Tobacco smoke contains many carcinogens such as nitrosamines .