Mild hypothermia facilitates the long-term survival of newborn cells in the dentate gyrus after traumatic brain injury by diminishing a pro-apoptotic microenvironment.

Although previous research has demonstrated that traumatic brain injury (TBI) accelerates the proliferation of neural stem cells in dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, most of these newborn cells undergo apoptosis in a traumatic microenvironment. Thus, promoting the long-term survival of newborn cells during neurogenesis is a compelling goal for the treatment of TBI. In this study, we investigated whether mild hypothermia (MHT) therapy, which mitigates the multiple secondary injury cascades of TBI, enhances the survival of newborn cells.

[Application of PiCCO monitoring in patients with neurogenic pulmonary edema].

Objective: To evaluate the application of pulse induced contour cardiac output (PiCCO) monitoring in patients with neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE), and to assess the accuracy of capacity parameters such as intra thoracic blood volume index (ITBVI) and global end diastolic volume index (GEDVI) and pressure parameters such as central venous pressure (CVP) in estimating severity of NPE, and to assess the prognostic significance of extravascular lung water index (EVLWI) on patients with NPE.

Methods: In this prospective study, 36 patients with NPE in the department of neurological intensive care unit (NICU) underwent PiCCO monitoring, including mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), CVP, ITBVI, GEDVI, EVLWI, pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI). The correlation between ITBVI, GEDVI, CVP and EVLWI was assessed.

Ferulic acid potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleep via the serotonergic system.

Ferulic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid, FA) is a widely distributed natural phenolic compound that is abundant in many plant tissues and foods. This study investigated possible mechanisms underlying the sedative-hypnotic effect of FA through behavioral pharmacology methods. FA showed dose-dependent sedative effects on locomotion activity in normal mice.

[Clinical analysis of linezolid in treatment of infection with methicillin--resistant Staphylococcus in 14 neurosurgical patients].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of linezolid in the treatment of post-neurosurgical intracranial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) infection.

Methods: The data from 14 patients, admitted to neurological intensive care unit (ICU) of Medical College of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces between March 2009 and November 2011, were retrospectively analyzed. All these cases suffered from post-neurosurgical intracranial infection by MRS and received linezolid treatment.

Stem cells modified by brain-derived neurotrophic factor to promote stem cells differentiation into neurons and enhance neuromotor function after brain injury.

Objective: To promote stem cells differentiation into neurons and enhance neuromotor function after brain injury through brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) induction.

Methods: Recombinant adenovirus vector was applied to the transfection of BDNF into human-derived umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs). Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the secretion phase of BDNF.