Acute inactivation of the contralesional hemisphere for longer durations improves recovery after cortical injury.

A rapidly growing number of studies using inhibition of the contralesional hemisphere after stroke are reporting improvement in motor performance of the paretic hand. These studies have used different treatment onset time, duration and non-invasive methods of inhibition. Whereas these results are encouraging, several questions regarding the mechanisms of inhibition and the most effective treatment parameters are currently unanswered.

An alternative therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy: transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation.

Background: Previous studies demonstrated that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an effective therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy. Acupuncture is also used to treat epilepsy. This study was designed to examine the safety and effectiveness of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (ta-VNS) for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Cell surface display of organophosphorus hydrolase for sensitive spectrophotometric detection of p-nitrophenol substituted organophosphates.

Organophosphates (OPs) widely exist in ecosystem as toxic substances, for which sensitive and rapid analytical methods are highly requested. In the present work, by using N-terminal of ice nucleation protein (INP) as anchoring motif, a genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain surface displayed mutant organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) (S5) with improved enzyme activity was successfully constructed.

Engineering novel anticoagulant proteins by motif grafting.

Structure-based rational design has been considered as a promising approach to design novel proteins. For this purpose, we designed artificial anticoagulant proteins that are able to target Factor Xa (FXa) using a functional motifgrafting approach. The motif corresponded to the residues Cys15 to Cys42 of Ancylostoma caninum anticoagulant peptide 5 (AcAP5), a potent FXa inhibitor.

Early timing of endovascular treatment for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage achieves improved outcomes.

Timing of treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage has been controversial. This retrospective study was designed to access the safety and efficacy among cohorts of different timing of endovascular treatment patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A database of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage was analyzed who were confirmed by CT, and underwent endovascular treatment between January 2005 and January 2012,.

[Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor encephalitis: clinical analysis of 7 cases].

Objective: To summarize the clinical manifestations, immunotherapeutic response and prognosis of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor encephalitis.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical features, tumor markers, serum/cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibodies of seven cases with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. And the prognosis of different treatments was observed.

Risk factors for dural arteriovenous fistula intracranial hemorrhage.

To our knowledge, the risk factors for intracranial hemorrhage from dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) have not been systematically described, due to the complexity of their anatomy and low incidence. We performed this retrospective study to investigate the DAVF factors predicting intracranial hemorrhage. A 10year database of 144 consecutive patients with DAVF was reviewed.

Clinical effectiveness of preoperative embolization for cerebellar hemangioblastoma.

The cerebellar hemangioblastoma (CHB) has an abundant blood supply and deep anatomical location. Complete surgical resection is generally very difficult. This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of preoperative embolization followed by surgical resection of CHB in a large cohort of patients.

Simultaneously improving stability and specificity of cell surface displayed glucose dehydrogenase mutants to construct whole-cell biocatalyst for glucose biosensor application.

The improved stability and substrate specificity of cell surface displayed glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) mutants by replacing four amino acids from Bacillus subtilis by using site-directed mutagenesis was systematically investigated. A series of mutated GDHs including E170R/Q252L, V149K/E170R/Q252L, E170R/Q252L/G259A and V149K/E170R/Q252L/G259A, were fused to the ice nucleation protein for displaying on cell surface of Eschericia coli. Q252L/E170R/V149K, Q252L/E170R/G259A and Q252L/E170R/V149K/G259A variants were found stable at a wide pH range and shown excellent thermostability.

Association between XRCC1 and XRCC3 polymorphisms with lung cancer risk: a meta-analysis from case-control studies.

Many studies have reported the association of X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, Arg280His, -77T>C, and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) T241M polymorphisms with lung cancer risk, but the results remained controversial. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between lung cancer risk and XRCC1 Arg399Gln (14,156 cases and 16,667 controls from 41 studies), Arg194Trp (7,426 cases and 9,603 controls from 23 studies), Arg280His (6,211 cases and 6,763 controls from 16 studies), -77T>C (2,487 cases and 2,576 controls from 5 studies), and XRCC3 T241M (8,560 cases and 11,557 controls from 19 studies) in different inheritance models. We found that -77T>C polymorphism was associated with increased lung cancer risk (dominant model: odds ration [OR] = 1.

Electroencephalogram global field synchronization analysis: a new method for assessing the progress of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Global field synchronization (GFS) can measure functional synchronization in frequency-domain electroencephalogram (EEG) data. The aim of this study is to explore GFS values and its clinical significance for severity of cognitive decline in AD.

Rapid determination of immunoglobulin G concentration in cold ethanol precipitation process of raw plasma with near-infrared spectroscopy.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is known to be a powerful analytical tool in process monitoring. The feasibility of NIRS was investigated for determination of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in raw plasma cold ethanol precipitation process. Partial least squares (PLS) was used to develop regression model for 63 samples between spectra and reference data measured with a UV spectrophotometer.

Co-immobilization of glucoamylase and glucose oxidase for electrochemical sequential enzyme electrode for starch biosensor and biofuel cell.

A novel electrochemical sequential biosensor was constructed by co-immobilizing glucoamylase (GA) and glucose oxidase (GOD) on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by chemical crosslinking method, where glutaraldehyde and bovine serum albumin was used as crosslinking and blocking agent, respectively. The proposed biosensor (GA/GOD/MWNTs/GCE) is capable of determining starch without using extra sensors such as Clark-type oxygen sensor or H2O2 sensor. The current linearly decreased with the increasing concentration of starch ranging from 0.

Comprehensive and sensitive quantification of long-chain and very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in small samples of human and mouse retina.

Fatty acids (FAs), including long-chain and very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs, C12-22; VLC-PUFAs, C24-38), play an important role in retinal function and health. Deficiencies in LC-PUFAs and VLC-PUFAs, as well as mutations in the enzyme responsible for elongation of very long-chain fatty acids (ELOVL4), have been associated with macular dystrophies and degenerations. Published analytical methods, including high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and gas chromatography-MS (GC-MS), can quantify VLC-PUFAs but require at least an entire human retina which limits the ability to understand physiologically relevant variations in lipids that can occur at a regional level within the retina.

Targeting cancer-related inflammation: Chinese herbal medicine inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is an almost universally fatal disease resulting from early invasion of adjacent structures and metastasis and the lack of an effective treatment modality. Our previous studies have shown that Qingyihuaji Formula (QYHJ), a seven-herb Chinese medicine formula, had significant anti-cancer effects in pancreatic cancer. Here, we examined the effects of QYHJ on pancreatic cancer cell invasion and metastasis and the potential associated mechanism(s).

[Multiple factors related with intracranial hemorrhage of dural arteriovenous fistula: clinical analysis].

Objective: To discuss the relevant predicative factors of dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) in intracranial hemorrhage.

Methods: A total of 144 consecutive patients with dAVFs were recruited for a retrospective analysis from 1996 to 2006. The relevant factors of gender, age, fistula flow rate, arterial supply, lesion and venous drainage pattern were analyzed to evaluate the outcome of intracranial hemorrhage.

Cardio-protection by Ginkgo biloba extract 50 in rats with acute myocardial infarction is related to Na⁺-Ca²⁺ exchanger.

Ginkgo biloba has been used for medical purposes for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. Ginkgo biloba extract 50 (GBE50) is a new standardized GBE product that matches the standardized German product as EGb761. This paper is aimed at studying the cardio-protection effects of GBE50 Salvia miltiorrhiza on myocardial function, area at risk, myocardial ultra-structure, and expression of calcium handling proteins in rat ischemic myocardium.

Yeast surface displaying glucose oxidase as whole-cell biocatalyst: construction, characterization, and its electrochemical glucose sensing application.

The display of glucose oxidase (GOx) on yeast cell surface using a-agglutinin as an anchor motif was successfully developed. Both the immunochemical analysis and enzymatic assay showed that active GOx was efficiently expressed and translocated on the cell surface. Compared with conventional GOx, the yeast cell surface that displayed GOx (GOx-yeast) demonstrated excellent enzyme properties, such as good stability within a wide pH range (pH 3.

Blue-light reflectance imaging of macular pigment in infants and children.

Purpose: While the role of the macular pigment carotenoids in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration has been extensively studied in adults, comparatively little is known about the physiology and function of lutein and zeaxanthin in the developing eye. We therefore developed a protocol using a digital video fundus camera (RetCam) to measure macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and distributions in premature infants and in children.

Methods: We used blue light reflectance to image the macular pigment in premature babies at the time of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening and in children aged under 7 years who were undergoing examinations under anesthesia for other reasons.

Purification and characteristics of xyloglucanase and five other cellulolytic enzymes from Trichoderma reesei QM9414.

By combining anion-exchange chromatography with gel filtration, an effective method for purification of wild-type xyloglucanase and five other cellulolytic enzymes from strain QM9414 of Trichoderma reesei was established. Characterization by enzyme activity assay, SDS-PAGE, and mass spectrometry identified the purified proteins as cellobiohydrolases I and II, endoglucanases I and II, a xyloglucanase, and β-xylosidase, of which the xyloglucanase was purified for the first time from the mutant strain QM9414. This method holds great promise to study the mechanism of cellulolytic enzymes, to investigate the synergistic action between cellulase and other cellulolytic enzymes, and to better exploit enzyme preparations for degradation of lignocellulose.

Role of ELOVL4 and very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in mouse models of Stargardt type 3 retinal degeneration.

Stargardt type 3 (STGD3) disease is a juvenile macular dystrophy caused by mutations in the ELOVL4 (Elongation of very long chain fatty acids 4) gene. Its protein product, ELOVL4, is an elongase required for the biosynthesis of very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs). It is unclear whether photoreceptor degeneration in STGD3 is caused by loss of VLC-PUFAs or by mutated ELOVL4 protein trafficking/aggregation.

Microbial surface display of glucose dehydrogenase for amperometric glucose biosensor.

A genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain displaying glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) with ice-nucleation protein (INP) as the anchoring motif was first constructed. The surface localization and functionality of the fusion protein containing GDH were verified by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting and enzymatic activity assay.