Aging, rather than Parkinson's disease, affects the responsiveness of PBMCs to the immunosuppression of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

Whether aging or Parkinson's disease (PD) affects the responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to immunosuppression by bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cell (BM‑MSCs) and which cytokines are more effective in inducing BM‑MSCs to be immunosuppressive remains to be elucidated. PBMCs were isolated from healthy young (age 26‑35), healthy middle‑aged (age 56‑60) and middle‑aged PD‑affected individuals. All the recruits were male.

Intravenously Delivered Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Bidirectionally Regulate Inflammation and Induce Neurotrophic Effects in Distal Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Rats Within the First 7 Days After Stroke.

Background/aims: Neurotrophic effects and immunosuppression are the main therapeutic mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in stroke treatment. Neurotrophins are produced by graft cells, host neurons, astrocytes, and even microglia/macrophages. Meanwhile, MSCs can increase inflammation if they are not sufficiently induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Comorbidity Burden of Dementia: A Hospital-Based Retrospective Study from 2003 to 2012 in Seven Cities in China.

Dementia is increasing dramatically and imposes a huge burden on society. To date, there is a lack of data on the health status of patients with dementia in China. In an attempt to investigate the comorbidity burden of dementia patients in China at the national level, we enrolled 2,938 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), or other types of dementia, who were admitted to tertiary hospitals in seven regions of China from January 2003 to December 2012.

Comorbidity burden of patients with Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism between 2003 and 2012: A multicentre, nationwide, retrospective study in China.

Parkinson's disease (PD) and Parkinsonism are common neurodegenerative disorders with continuously increasing prevalence, causing high global burdens. However, data concerning the comorbidity burden of patients with PD or Parkinsonism in China are lacking. To investigate the health condition and comorbidity burden, a total of 3367 PD and 823 Parkinsonism patients were included from seven tertiary hospitals in seven cities across China from 2003 to 2012.

General public perceptions and attitudes toward Alzheimer's disease from five cities in China.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia affecting the aged population worldwide, yet its social perceptions have been less studied. To investigate the perceptions and attitudes toward AD in the Chinese population, a cross-sectional face-to-face survey of 2,000 randomly selected adults was conducted in five representative cities of China. This survey focused on the fear of AD, and the relationship between this variable and each studied factor was analyzed using univariate analysis and multivariate regression analysis.

The relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms of the NTRK2 gene and sporadic Alzheimer's disease in the Chinese Han population.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, whose survival and function are affected by neurotrophins and their receptors. The impaired signaling pathway of brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tropomyosin-related kinase B (BDNF/TrkB) is considered to play an important role in AD pathogenesis. To explore the association of polymorphisms within the NTRK2 gene (encoding TrkB) and sporadic AD (sAD), a case-control study was conducted in a Chinese Han cohort including 216 sAD patients and 244 control participants.

No association of SORT1 gene polymorphism with sporadic Alzheimer's disease in the Chinese Han population.

Increasing evidence shows that sortilin (encoded by SORT1 gene), a member of the vacuolar protein sorting 10 family of sorting receptors, can modulate amyloid-β peptides (Aβ) metabolism and clearance, as well as mediate the neurotoxicity of the Aβ oligomer and proneurotrophins, thus playing diverse roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. To assess the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the SORT1 gene and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) in the Chinese Han population, a case-control study was carried out including 220 sAD patients and 245 controls. One tag SNP was selected from the entire SORT1 gene through construction of linkage disequilibrium blocks, and three SNPs located in the vicinity of SORT1 that affect its expression were also selected.

[Association between mutations of SCN9A gene and pain related to Parkinsonism].

Objective: To screening mutations of exons 15, 18 and 26 of sodium channel Nav1.7 (SCN9A) gene, and to assess its association with pain related to Parkinsonism.

Methods: Respectively, 101 patients with primary Parkinson's disease (PD) and 104 similar-aged volunteers without PD were recruited from March, 2008 to January, 2011.

Antimalarial drug artemisinin extenuates amyloidogenesis and neuroinflammation in APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice via inhibition of nuclear factor-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Background: The activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in neuroinflammation, which is closely linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In vivo and in vitro studies have suggested that artemisinin shows antiinflammatory effects in inflammation-related diseases. However, the impacts of artemisinin on AD have not been investigated.

[Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with multiplex PCR for rapid detection of large duplications or deletions in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy].

Objective: To assess the value of multiplex PCR-denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (PCR-DHPLC) method for screening large duplications or deletions in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Methods: DNA was extracted from peripheral venous blood samples from 35 DMD and 6 SMA patients. Large duplications or deletions were screened with multiplex PCR coupled with DHPLC method.

[PINK1 IVS5-5 G>A polymorphism may contribute to the risk of late onset Parkinson disease in Chinese].

Objective: To investigate the possible association of IVS5-5G>A polymorphism, positioned in the upstream region of exon 5 of PINK1 gene with the risk for sporadic late onset Parkinson disease (LOPD) in Chinese.

Methods: Intronic regulatory sequence analysis was performed using the web-based in-silico analysis. The authors performed an association study using a case-control series (comprising 382 LOPD patients and 336 controls, Chinese of Han ancestry).

[A study on PARKIN gene in three pedigrees with autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinson's disease].

Objective: To detect the possible relationship between PARKIN gene and the Chinese pedigree with autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinson's disease(AREP).

Methods: Clinical examination was carried out in 6 patients from 3 Chinese pedigrees with AREP and their 23 family members. PCR amplification of all exons of PARKIN gene was performed.

[New polymorphism (IVS3-20 T-->C) of the parkin gene associated with the early-onset Parkinson's disease in Chinese].

Objective: To investigate the association between a new polymorphism (IVS3-20 T>C GenBank accession number: AY463003) in intro 3 of the parkin gene and the risk for Parkinson's disease (PD) in Chinese, particularly the relation between this polymorphism and the age of onset of PD patients.

Methods: PD was diagnosed according to the criteria of Core Assessment Program for Intracerebral Transplantations(CAPIT). All patients and controls were examined by two neurologists and were of the Han ethnic background.