Atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD) does not show obvious loss of visual function in the early stage, so it is not easy to be taken seriously. In the advanced stage, most of the patients suffered from macular area retinal map atrophy, which affected night vision and central vision. Drugs currently used in clinical or clinical trials to treat atrophic AMD include drugs for improving choroidal perfusion, reducing the accumulation of harmful substances, preventing oxidative stress injury, inhibiting inflammatory reactions, as well as neuroprotectants and lipid metabolism drugs. Stem cell transplantation for atrophic AMD is currently the most promising treatment. In theory, it is feasible to replace atrophic AMD with retinal photoreceptor cells and RPE cells derived from human stem cell differentiation. However, there are still many problems to be solved, such as how to improve the efficiency of directional differentiation of seed cells and how to ensure the safe and effective RPE cell transplantation and survival after transplantation. At present, several studies have found that multiple locus mutations are associated with atrophic AMD, so gene therapy also plays an important role in the development of the disease.
Objective To evaluate proton MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) for detection of the motor cortex and adjacent brain in amyotrophic lateralsclerosis (ALS) patients with apparent upper motor neuron involvement after olfactory ensheathing cells(OECs) transplantation. Methods From December 2004 to February 2005, 7 patients with clinically definite ALS who could safely undergo MRS were admitted into the perspective study. The neurological status, ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS), EMG, and 1H-MRS taken before and 2 weeks after operationswere carefully analyzed. The NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios were measured in the cerebral peduncle,genu and posterior limb of the internal capsule, corona radiata and precentral gyrus. Results The ALSFRS in 2 cases mproved obviously whose ALSFRS increased from 30 to 33 and from 29 to 34 respectively. And 5 cases remained stable 2 weeks after OECs transplantation. Statistical analyses for all seven cases showed both theNAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios decreased, but in the two cases with ALSFRS improvement the NAA/Cr increased in the certain anatomic position which confirmed the neurological and EMG findings. Conclusion The proton MR spectroscopy is a suitablenoninvasive measure for ALS evaluation. The preliminary study suggests that twoof the seven ALS cases improved apparently shortterm after OECs transplantation. More patients are required for the clinical study and longer followup duration is needed for future research.
Objective To introduce a new functional self-assessment scale of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods By comparing current different ALS functional scales and combining relative cl inical experience and numeric pain intensity scale, ALS self-assessment scale was set down by International Association of Neural Restoration. Results ALS self-assessment scale included 3 categories with 18 items, adopting 10 points grading system, namely 10 was defined as the normal, 0 as the worst, and the total scores was 180. This scale included: ① Bulbus medullae function: speech, swallowing, sal ivation, and tongue extension. ② Limbs function: left arm movement, left hand movement, right arm movement, right hand movement, left leg movement, right leg movement, trunk movement, head-up, walking, and cl imbing stairs. ③ Others: breathing, muscular tone, pain, and muscle discomfort. Conclusion ALS self-assessment scale is specifically designed for ASL patients. It can evaluate patient’s function comprehensively and is simple and convenient, consuming less time.
Objective To investigate the role of AKT/FOXOs /atrogin-1/MuRF1 signaling pathway in skeletal muscle atrophy in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases( COPD) .Methods Passive cigarette smoking was used to establish COPD model. The protein expression of atrogin-1, MuRF1, FOXO-1, phosohorylated-AKT and total AKT were measured by Western blot. The mRNA expression of atrogin-1, MuRF1 and FOXO-1 were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction( RT-PCR) . Results Compared with the control group, the mRNA expressions of atrogin-1, MuRF1 and FOXO-1 significantly increased in extensor digitorum longus ( EDL) of the COPD group (Plt;0.05 ) . Meanwhile the protein expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 significantly increased in the COPD group(Plt;0.05) , while the protein expression of FOXO-1 was not significantly different between two groups(Pgt;0.05) . In addition, , the protein expression of phosohorylated-AKTand the ratio of phosohorylated-AKT to total AKT significantly increased in EDL of the COPD group(Plt;0.05) . Conclusion The mRNA and protein expression of AKT/FOXOs/ atrogin-1 /MuRF1 in skeletal muscle are significantly increased in COPD rats, suggesting that AKT/FOXOs/ atrogin-1 /MuRF1 signalling pathway plays a crucial role in skeletal muscle atrophy of COPD.