Role of macrophages in peripheral nerve injury and repair

Resident and inflammatory macrophages are essential effectors of the innate immune system. These cells provide innate immune defenses and regulate tissue and organ homeostasis. In addition to their roles in diseases such as cancer, obesity and osteoarthritis, they play vital roles in tissue repair and disease rehabilitation. Macrophages and other inflammatory cells are recruited to tissue injury sites where they promote changes in the microenvironment. Among the inflammatory cell types, only macrophages have both pro-inflammatory (Ml) and anti-inflammatory (M2) actions, and M2 macrophages have four subtypes. The co-action of Ml and M2 subtypes can create a favorable microenvironment, releasing cytokines for damaged tissue repair. In this review, we discuss the activation of macrophages and their roles in severe peripheral nerve injury. We also describe the therapeutic potential of macrophages in nerve tissue engineering treatment and highlight approaches for enhancing M2 cell-mediated nerve repair and regeneration.

Therapeutic strategies for peripheral nerve injury: decellularized nerve conduits and Schwann cell transplantation

In recent years, the use of Schwann cell transplantation to repair peripheral nerve injury has attracted much attention. Animal-based studies show that the transplantation of Schwann cells in combination with nerve scaffolds promotes the repair of injured peripheral nerves. Autologous Schwann cell transplantation in humans has been reported recently. This article reviews current methods for removing the extracellular matrix and analyzes its composition and function. The development and secretory products of Schwann cells are also reviewed. The methods for the repair of peripheral nerve injuries that use myelin and Schwann cell transplantation are assessed. This survey of the literature data shows that using a decellularized nerve conduit combined with Schwann cells represents an effective strategy for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury. This analysis provides a comprehensive basis on which to make clinical decisions for the repair of peripheral nerve injury.

Coalition of DNA polymorphisms of ApoB and ApoAI genes is related with coronary artery disease in Kazaks

Objective To explore the relationship between polymorphisms of XbaI and MspI loci of apolipoprotein B （ApoB） gene and -75 bp,＋83 bp loci of apolipoprotein AI （ApoAI） gene and coronary heart disease （CHD） in Kazaks of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,China.Methods These loci were analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-PFLP）.Two hundred and five patients with CHD and two hundred and thirty six controls were involved.Results There were significant distinctions among low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）,triglyceride （TG） and the ApoAI/ApoB ratio between the two groups,but no significant distinction among the polymorphism frequencies of the four sites between the two groups.The polymorphism coalition frequency of X-/Ms＋＋/M1＋-/M2＋＋ （named Coalition 11） was significantly higher in CHD compared to the control group （14.6％ vs.7.2％,P ＜ 0.05）.The level of total cholesterol （TC） in Coalition 1 1 was significantly higher and the level of the ApoAI/ApoB ratio in Coalition 11 was significantly lower than Coalition 1～10 in CHD patients.The level of the ApoAI/ApoB ratio of Coalition 11 was significantly lower than the Coalition 1～10 in control group.The levels of ApoAI/ApoB ratio of Coalition 3 were significantly higher compared to Coalition 11 in the two groups,respectively.The level of LDL-C of Coalition 3 was significantly lower than in the Coalition 11 in control group.The level of TC of Coalition 5 was significantly higher than Coalition 3 in the CHD group.The level of the ApoAI/ApoB ratio of Coalition 5 was significantly lower than in Coalition 3 or Coalition 1～10 of the two groups,respectively.The level of LDL-C of Coalition 5 was significantly higher than in Coalition 3 in control group.The ratio of ApoAI/ApoB was negatively related to TC,LDL-C and was positively related to HDL-C,both in CHD and control groups.Conclusion Coalition 11 of the 4 loci polymorphisms of the ApoB and ApoAI genes was correlated with CHD in Kazaks,and perhaps the ratio of ApoAI/ApoB was the most diagnostic parameter related with CHD among all lipid parameters.CHD may also be associated with Coalition 5,and,perhaps,Coalition 3 may have been confirmed as a protection factor against CHD,if more samples were enrolled.

Altered serous levels of monoamine neurotransmitter metabolites in patients with refractory and non-refractory depression

The study examined plasma metabolite changes of monoamine neurotransmitters in patients with treatment-resistant depression （TRD） and non-TRD before and after therapy. All 30 TRD and 30 non-TRD patients met the diagnostic criteria for a depressive episode in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. Before treatment, and at 4, 6, and 8 weeks after treatment, the plasma metabolite products of monoamine neurotransmitters in TRD group, including 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl ethylene glycol and homovanillic acid, were significantly lower than those in the non-TRD group. After two types of anti-depressive therapy with 5-serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, combined with psychotherapy, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were significantly reduced in both groups of patients, and the serous levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl ethylene glycol were significantly increased. In contrast, the homovanillic acid level exhibited no significant change. The levels of plasma metabolite products of peripheral monoamine neurotransmitters in depressive patients may predict the degree of depression and the therapeutic effects of treatment.

Bone morphogenetic protein-7 induced bone marrow stromal cells differentiate into neuron-like cells

Bone morphogenetic protein-7 is widely accepted as an inducer for bone marrow stem cells differentiating into osteoblasts and chondrocytes. Whether bone marrow stromal cells differentiate into neuron-like cells remains unclear. The current study examined the presence of positive cells for intermediate filament protein and microtubule associated protein-2 in the cytoplasm of bone marrow stromal cells induced by bone morphogenetic protein-7 under an inverted microscope, while no expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein was found. Reverse transcription PCR electrophoresis also revealed a positive target band for intermediate filament protein and microtubule-associated protein 2 mRNA. These results confirmed that bone morphogenetic protein-7 induces rat bone marrow stromal cells differentiating into neuron-like cells.

Minimally Invasive Neuronavigator-guided Microsurgery and Photodynamic Therapy for Gliomas

In order to evaluate the effectiveness ofneuronavigator-guided microsurgery and keyhole technique for the resection of gliomas, a total of 60 patients with gliomas were exactly located by using neuronavigator during microsurgery. Forty deep-seated gliomas were resected through a keyhole operative approach. Thirty out of the 60 cases were subjected to photodynamic therapy （PDT） after tumor resection. The therapeutic effectiveness of all the cases was recorded and analyzed. The resuits showed that glioma was totally resected in 52 cases （86.7%）, subtotally in 5 （8.3%）, and most partially in 3 （5%）. Neurological deficits occurred postoperatively in 4 cases. One patient died of multiple system organ failure 4 days after operation. It was concluded that the application of minimally invasive technique could dramatically decrease surgical complications following resection of glioma, and its combination with PDT could obviously improve the quality of life of patients and prolong the survival time.