α-Linolenic acid-regulated testosterone biosynthesis via activation of the JNK-SF-1 signaling pathway in primary rooster Leydig cells.

Unlabelled: As a functional fatty acid, α-linolenic acid (ALA) is essential in promoting animal testosterone biosynthesis. This study investigated the effects of ALA on testosterone biosynthesis and the possible mechanism underlying the signaling pathway in primary Leydig cells of the rooster.

Methods: Primary rooster Leydig cells were treated with ALA (0, 20, 40, or 80 μmol/L) or pretreated with a p38 inhibitor (50 μmol/L), a c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor (20 μmol/L), or an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor (20 μmol/L) before ALA treatment.

Bidirectional and multi-user telerehabilitation system: clinical effect on balance, functional activity, and satisfaction in patients with chronic stroke living in long-term care facilities.

Background: The application of internet technology for telerehabilitation in patients with stroke has developed rapidly.

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of a bidirectional and multi-user telerehabilitation system on balance and satisfaction in patients with chronic stroke living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs).

Method: This pilot study used a multi-site, blocked randomization design.

Postnatal development of microcyst in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus of the Mongolian gerbil: a light- and electron microscopic study.

We investigated the postnatal formation and origin of the microcyst, which are not fully elucidated at present, in the cochlear nucleus of gerbils. Sixty-six Mongolian gerbils were investigated at the light microscope level, and 35 of them were observed at the electron microscopic level. Foamy structures were evidently found at 2 days of age and remained unchanged through 4-8 days.

Elevation of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid osteopontin levels in patients with atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor.

Osteopontin, a cancer metastasis-associated gene, is specifically up-regulated in central nervous system (CNS) atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), but its biological behavior in the progression of CNS AT/RT has never been studied. We obtained plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue specimens from lobectomy or hemispherectomy samples from 39 patients (medulloblastoma, 16; AT/RT, 8; epilepsy, 6; hydrocephalus, 9). By enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the median osteopontin levels in plasma and CSF in AT/RT (852.

Treadmill training effects in different age groups following middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

Background: Despite the increased understanding of treadmill training on stroke patients, its effects on different age groups are not clearly known. The present study presents such effects through a model of cerebral ischemia on young and old groups of rats.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of treadmill training on young and old rats after cerebral ischemia caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

Treadmill training effects on neurological outcome after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

Background: Treadmill training is used for promoting rhythmical vigorous walking and for task-related training in patients with stroke. The neurological impact of treadmill training has not been established. The present investigation is aimed at (1) examining neurological changes over a four-week period after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats and (2) assessing the impact of one-week, two-week and four-week treadmill training in MCAO rats.