Journal of the neurological sciences
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Statin induced necrotizing autoimmune myopathy (SINAM) is a recently characterized entity belonging to the spectrum of statin myotoxicity. It is a more severe form, and is usually associated with significant proximal muscle weakness, strikingly elevated creatine kinase levels and persistent symptoms despite statin discontinuation. The characteristic pathological finding is a marked muscle fiber necrosis with minimal or no inflammation on muscle biopsy. ⋯ However, anti-HMGCR positive myopathies are also caused by unknown etiologies other than statin exposure, especially in the younger population. SINAM should be promptly recognized as immunosuppressive therapy can improve its clinical outcome significantly. Further research is needed to elucidate its pathogenesis and provide evidence based guidelines for management.
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Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is a rare movement disorder. The underlying neural mechanisms have not been fully understood. This study aimed to examine the alteration of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between interhemispheric homotopic regions in PKD using a technique called "voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity" (VMHC). ⋯ The present study provided preliminary evidence of increased interhemispheric RSFC in PKD mainly in the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuitry and cerebellum. A negative correlation between VMHC and illness duration was also detected. These findings could further enhance our understandings of the pathophysiology of PKD.
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The participation of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) in neuronal damage/death in the hippocampal CA1 region (CA1) induced by transient forebrain ischemia has not been well established, although acidosis may be involved in neuronal damage/death. In the present study, we examined the effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) on NHE1 immunoreactivity following a 5min of transient forebrain ischemia in gerbils. The animals used in the study were randomly assigned to four groups (sham-operated-group, ischemia-operated-group, IPC plus (+) sham-operated-group and IPC+ischemia-operated-group). ⋯ In the IPC+ischemia-operated-groups, NHE1 immunoreactivity was also expressed in the SP of the CA1-3; however, the immunoreactivity was more slightly changed than that in the ischemia-operated-groups. In brief, our findings show that IPC dramatically protected CA1 pyramidal neurons and strongly inhibited NHE1 expression in the SP of the CA1 after ischemia-reperfusion. These findings suggest that the inhibition of NHE1 expression may be necessary for neuronal survival from transient ischemic damage.
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Many studies have reported micro RNAs involved in the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into neural cells; however, the roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the differentiation of BMSCs into neural cells remain poorly understood. We used microarray assays to compare the lncRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression profiles in BMSCs and neural-induced BMSCs. We found a total of 24 lncRNAs and 738 mRNAs that were upregulated and 32 lncRNAs and 682 mRNAs that were downregulated in samples induced for 3h; 27 lncRNAs and 864 mRNAs that were upregulated and 37 lncRNAs and 968 mRNAs that were downregulated in 6h samples; and 23 lncRNAs and 1159 mRNAs that were upregulated or downregulated in both the 3h and 6h samples. ⋯ Then, RT-qPCR validation of the differentially expressed H19, Esco2, Pcdhb18, and RGD1560277 genes confirmed the microarray data. Our study revealed the expression patterns of lncRNAs in the differentiation of BMSCs into neural cells, and many lncRNAs were differentially expressed in induced BMSCs, suggesting that they may play key roles in processes of differentiation. Our findings may promote the use of BMSCs to treat neurodegenerative diseases and trauma.
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Oxidative stress is considered a major contributing factor in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Phloretin, a dihydrochalcone belonging to the flavonoid family, is particularly rich in apples and apple-derived products. A large body of evidence demonstrates that phloretin exhibits anti-oxidant properties, and phloretin has potential implications for treating oxidative stress injuries in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. ⋯ However, phloretin pretreatment dramatically suppressed these oxidative stress processes. Furthermore, phloretin upregulated Nrf2 mRNA and protein expression of in ischemia/reperfusion brain tissue. Taken together, phloretin exhibited neuroprotective effects in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, and the mechanisms are associated with oxidative stress inhibition and Nrf2 defense pathway activation.