Crosstalk between peripheral and the brain-resident immune components in epilepsy.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurology diseases. It is characterized by recurrent, spontaneous seizures and accompanied by various comorbidities which can significantly affect a person's life. Accumulating evidence indicates an essential pathophysiological role for neuroinflammation in epilepsy, which involves activation of microglia and astrocytes, recruitment of peripheral leukocytes into the central nervous system, and release of some inflammatory mediators, including pro-inflammatory factors and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Standard-Dose Atorvastatin Treatment in Patients With Symptomatic Middle Cerebral Artery Atherosclerotic Stenosis: A Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Ischemic stroke can be caused by atherosclerotic lesions of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Some studies have described the effects of statin treatment on carotid artery plaques, but little is known about the effects of statin treatment on MCA plaques. The purpose of this study was to validate the efficacy of standard-dose atorvastatin (20 mg/day) in patients with symptomatic MCA atherosclerotic stenosis (SMAS) in northern China.

[Effects of Different Shading Treatment and Planting Patterns on Several Main Characters and Yield of Elephantopus scaber].

Objective: To study the growth and yield of Elephantopus scaber under different light conditions.

Methods: Several main characters and yield performances were studied under six shading treatment as well as two planting patterns.

Results: The plant height, leaf number, root length and root-shoot ratio were increased under moderate shading.

Association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and Parkinson's disease: a meta analysis.

To investigate the genetic association of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and Parkinson's disease (PD) or depression in PD by using meta analysis. Published association studies on genotype or allele frequencies of the 5-HTTLPR in patients with or without PD or in PD patients with or without depression in all ethnic groups were included. A biallelic meta-analysis, including biallelic frequency model, biallelic dominant model (BDM) and biallelic recessive model, was performed using the Cochrane Review Manager (RevMan, version 5.

Genetic polymorphisms in the ESR1 gene and cerebral infarction risk: a meta-analysis.

A number of studies have documented that estrogen receptor α (ESR1) may play an important role in the development and progression of cerebral infarction, but many existing studies have yielded inconclusive results. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between ESR1 genetic polymorphisms and cerebral infarction risk. The PubMed, CISCOM, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases were searched for relevant articles published before October 1, 2013, without any language restrictions.

Correlations of MCP-1 -2518A>G polymorphism and serum levels with cerebral infarction risk: a meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) -2518A>G (rs1024611 A>G) polymorphism and its serum levels, and the risk of cerebral infarction. The PubMed, CISCOM, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases were searched for relevant articles published before October 1st, 2013 without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was conducted using the STATA 12.

Gene expression profiling analysis of the putamen for the investigation of compensatory mechanisms in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is affecting 5 million people worldwide, but the response mechanisms of the striatum are still unclear. Therefore, identification of gene expression alterations in the striatum will greatly assist the development of novel therapy strategies.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive gene expression analysis in 15 PD patients and 15 normal controls to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using the expression profile GSE20291 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO).

Metformin inhibits glioma cell U251 invasion by downregulation of fibulin-3.

Fibulin-3 has been considered as a regulator of glioma cell invasion, but little is known about the molecules regulating fibulin-3 expression. Metformin, an oral antidiabetic drug in the biguanide class, is known to inhibit proliferation and metastasis in a variety of cancer cells. In the present study, we determined the effect of metformin on the expression of fibulin-3 in U251 Human glioma cells.

Hypoxia increases Aβ-induced tau phosphorylation by calpain and promotes behavioral consequences in AD transgenic mice.

Chronic hypoxia has been reported to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanism of hypoxia in the pathogenesis of AD remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic hypoxia treatment on β-amyloid, tau pathologies, and the behavioral consequences in the double transgenic (APP/PS1) mice.