Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN
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In Morocco, Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects almost 30,000 individuals, and this number could increase to 75,000 by 2020. To our knowledge, the genes predisposing individuals to AD and predicting disease incidence remain elusive. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the genetic contribution of mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene exons 16 and 17 to familial and sporadic AD cases. ⋯ Interestingly, only one novel splice mutation was detected in a family case. There is a strong correlation between clinical symptoms and genetic factors in Moroccan patients with a family history of AD. Therefore, mutations in APP gene exons 16 and 17 may eventually become genetic markers for AD predisposition.
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Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has been proven to be a promising candidate for protection of the nervous system after acute injury in animal models of neuropathic pain. The purposes of this study were to examine the antinociceptive response phase induced by HBO treatment in a model of neuropathic pain and to determine the dependence of the treatment's mechanism of alleviating neuropathic pain on the inhibition of spinal astrocyte activation. Neuropathic pain was induced in rats by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve. ⋯ Repetitive HBO treatment led to a long-acting antinociceptive response phase and inhibited astrocyte activation. These results indicated that HBO treatment played a dual role in the aggravation and alleviation of neuropathic pain, though the aggravated pain effect (transient allodynia) was far less pronounced than the antinociceptive phase. Astrocyte inhibition and anti-inflammation may contribute to the antinociceptive effect of HBO treatment after nerve injury.