Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with extracorporeal shockwave therapy for poststroke spasticity: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Spasticity is a common complication of stroke, which is related to poor motor recovery and limitations in the performance of activities. Both transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) are effective treatment methods for poststroke spasticity (PSS). However, there is no existing study exploring the safety and effectiveness of TMS combined with ESWT for PSS.

Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation for Stroke: Primary Motor Cortex Versus Cerebellar Stimulation: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial.

Background: Stroke survivors with impaired balance and motor function tend to have relatively poor functional outcomes. The cerebellum and primary motor cortex (M1) have been suggested as targets for neuromodulation of balance and motor recovery after stroke. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) to the cerebellum or M1 on balance and motor recovery in patients with stroke.

A unique phenothiazine-based fluorescent probe using benzothiazolium as a reactivity regulator for the specific detection of hypochlorite in drinking water and living organisms.

As a common disinfectant and an essential reactive oxygen species (ROS), hypochlorite (ClO) plays vital roles in both water treatment and cell metabolism, but its abnormal level can cause serious harm to human health. Therefore, quantifying ClO level in drinking water and living organisms is extremely significant. Herein, we decorated different cationic heterocycles on phenothiazine core to construct three fluorescent probes for ClO.

Event-related alpha power in early stage of facial expression processing in social anxiety: Influence of language context.

Accurate interpretation of the emotional information conveyed by others' facial expressions is crucial for social interactions. Event-related alpha power, measured by time-frequency analysis, is a frequently used EEG index of emotional information processing. However, it is still unclear how event-related alpha power varies in emotional information processing in social anxiety groups.

The long-term effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation on Alzheimer's disease-type pathologies in APP/PS1 mice.

Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), an emerging and highly efficient paradigm of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), has been demonstrated to mitigate cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease. Previous clinical studies have shown that the cognitive improvement of iTBS could last several weeks after treatment. Nonetheless, it is largely uncertain how the long-term effects of iTBS treatment are sustained.

Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation Attenuates Cognitive Deficits and Alzheimer's Disease-Type Pathologies via ISCA1-Mediated Mitochondrial Modulation in APP/PS1 Mice.

Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a time-saving and cost-effective repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation regime, has been shown to improve cognition in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the specific mechanism underlying iTBS-induced cognitive enhancement remains unknown. Previous studies suggested that mitochondrial functions are modulated by magnetic stimulation.

Solid-Phase Polymerization Using Anion-Exchange Resin Can Almost Completely Crosslink Hemoglobin to Prepare Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers.

Introduction: A limitation of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) as oxygen therapeutics is unpolymerized hemoglobin, which induces vasoconstriction leading to hypertension. The removal of unpolymerized hemoglobin from polymerized hemoglobin (PolyHb) is complex, expensive, and time-consuming.

Methods: Herein, we developed a method to completely polymerize hemoglobin almost without unpolymerized hemoglobin.

Influence of affective verbal context on emotional facial expression perception of social anxiety.

Previous studies have shown that the perception of ambiguous facial expressions for individuals with social anxiety was influenced by the affective verbal context. However, it is still unknown how emotional facial expressions are perceived by individuals with social anxiety in the context of the verbal context. In this study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) technology to examine how individuals with social anxiety perceive emotional facial expressions in positive and negative contexts.

Adaptive backstepping sliding mode control of permanent magnet spherical motor based on disturbance observer.

This paper proposes an adaptive backstepping sliding mode control method based on a nonlinear disturbance observer (NDO) to solve the problem that the tracking performance of the motion system of a permanent magnet spherical motor (PMSpM) is degraded due to the influence of external nonlinear disturbance. First, the dynamic model of the PMSpM under the compound interference is established. Second, an NDO and an adaptive backstepping sliding mode controller are designed to compensate for the external disturbances and modeling uncertainties, and the stability of the closed-loop system using the proposed method is confirmed through the Lyapunov theorem.

Activation of Dopamine D2 Receptors Alleviates Neuronal Hyperexcitability in the Lateral Entorhinal Cortex via Inhibition of HCN Current in a Rat Model of Chronic Inflammatory Pain.

Functional changes in synaptic transmission from the lateral entorhinal cortex to the dentate gyrus (LEC-DG) are considered responsible for the chronification of pain. However, the underlying alterations in fan cells, which are the predominant neurons in the LEC that project to the DG, remain elusive. Here, we investigated possible mechanisms using a rat model of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain.

p75NTR Ectodomain Ameliorates Cognitive Deficits and Pathologies in a Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Deprivation Mice Model.

The neurotrophin receptor p75 (p75NTR) is a circadian rhythm regulator and mediates cognitive deficits induced by sleep deprivation (SD). The soluble extracellular domain of p75NTR (p75ECD) has been shown to exert a neuroprotective function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and depression animal models. Nevertheless, the role of p75ECD in SD-induced cognitive dysfunction is unclear.

IL2-inducible T-cell kinase inhibitor ibrutinib reduces symptoms and Th2 differentiation in mouse allergic-rhinitis model.

Th2 and Th17 immune response contribute to allergic rhinitis (AR) development. Targeting Th2 and Th17 response has been shown to ameliorate AR. Ibrutinib is an inhibitor for IL2-inducible T-cell kinase, which can promote Th2 and Th17 immune response.

The calcimedin annexin A3 displays tumor-promoting effect in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by activating NF-κB signaling.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the lethal malignancies commonly found in the eastern world, with overall five-year survival rates less than 25%. The present study aimed to investigate the biological function of annexin A3 (ANXA3) in ESCC cell proliferation. The mRNA and protein levels of ANXA3 in ESCC tissues and cell lines were determined by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively.

Spleen Tyrosine Kinase Mediates Microglial Activation in Mice With Diabetic Retinopathy.

Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries, in which microglial activation is involved. However, the mechanism of microglial activation in DR remains largely unknown.

Methods: We used Cx3cr1CreERT2; Sykfl/fl mice to knockout microglial spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) in the retina of mice (cKO mice) after streptozotocin injection to induce diabetes.

The projections from the anterior cingulate cortex to the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area contribute to neuropathic pain-evoked aversion in rats.

Although the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a vital role in neuropathic pain-related aversion, the underlying mechanisms haven't been fully studied. The mesolimbic dopamine system encodes reward and aversion, and participates in the exacerbation of chronic pain. Therefore, we investigated whether the ACC modulates aversion to neuropathic pain via control of the mesolimbic dopamine system, in a rat model of chronic constriction injury (CCI) to the sciatic nerve.

Neurotrophin receptor p75 mediates amyloid β-induced tau pathology.

Neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) are a key pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau phosphorylation is suggested to be secondary to amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation. However, the mechanism by which Aβ induces tau phosphorylation in neurons remains unclear.

The ProNGF/p75NTR pathway induces tau pathology and is a therapeutic target for FTLD-tau.

Tau pathology is characterized as a form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) known as FTLD-tau. The underlying pathogenic mechanisms are not known and no therapeutic interventions are currently available. Here, we report that the neurotrophin receptor p75NTR plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of FTLD-tau.

Parameter Optimization Analysis of Prolonged Analgesia Effect of tDCS on Neuropathic Pain Rats.

: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is widely used to treat human nerve disorders and neuropathic pain by modulating the excitability of cortex. The effectiveness of tDCS is influenced by its stimulation parameters, but there have been no systematic studies to help guide the selection of different parameters. : This study aims to assess the effects of tDCS of primary motor cortex (M1) on chronic neuropathic pain in rats and to test for the optimal parameter combinations for analgesia.

Inhibition of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Subtype 1 Alters the Excitability of the Commissural Pyramidal Neuron in the Rat Anterior Cingulate Cortex after Chronic Constriction Injury to the Sciatic Nerve.

Background: Inhibition of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1 in the anterior cingulate cortex has an analgesic effect during sustained nociceptive hypersensitivity. However, the specific changes in different subtypes of anterior cingulate cortex layer 5 pyramidal neurons, as well as the distinct effect of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1 inhibition on different neuronal subtypes, have not been well studied.

Methods: Retrograde labeling combined with immunofluorescence, whole cell clamp recording, and behavioral tests combined with RNA interference were performed in a rat model of chronic constriction injury to the sciatic nerve.

Activation of mGluR1 contributes to neuronal hyperexcitability in the rat anterior cingulate cortex via inhibition of HCN channels.

Neuronal hyperexcitability in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is considered as one of the most important pathological changes responsible for the chronification of neuropathic pain. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated the possible mechanisms using a rat model of chronic constriction injury (CCI) to the sciatic nerve.