Exercise-induced neuroprotection against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury is mediated via alleviating inflammasome-induced pyroptosis.

As a primary nonpharmacological tool, exercise training is neuroprotective after experimental ischemic stroke by relieving neuroinflammation. However, the specific mechanism of which and anti-inflammatory effect of exercise at different intensities require in-depth investigations. To explore the issue, middle cerebral artery occlusion-reperfusion (MCAO-r) in mice were utilized, with subsequent exercise training at different intensities (high-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training, i.e. HIIT vs. MICT) during an early phase post-modeling. The neurobehavioral assessment showed that MICT improved the performance of neurological deficit scores and rotarod test earlier, while HIIT appeared to be more efficacious to meliorate locomotor impairments and aerobic fitness at the end of intervention. Both exercise regimens inhibited the expressions of NLRP3 inflammasome components (NLRP3, ASC, and Cl.caspase-1) and pyroptosis-associated proteins (GSDMD, Cl.IL-1ß, and Cl.IL-18) as indicated by western blot and immunofluorescence co-staining. Multiplex assay panel revealed that both exercise regimens reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and upregulated anti-inflammatory cytokine. Furthermore, an increased proportion of M2-like microglia and a diminished proportion of M1-like microglia in the peri-infarct zone were observed by colocalization analysis, which was jointly validated by western blot. Here, for the first time, our study demonstrated that HIIT elicited better improvements at functional and cardiovascular levels than MICT after ischemic stroke, and anti-inflammatory effect of exercise might result from suppression in inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis by shifting microglial polarization toward neuroprotective M2 phenotype.

Ultrasonographic examination on patients with chronic wrist pain: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of ultrasonographic examination in a series of patients with chronic wrist pain and to define the proportion of occult carpal ganglion in these patients. DESIGN: A retrospective study including 57 patients with wrist pain consecutively referred for sonographic examination. The inclusion criteria for this study were a history of wrist pain longer than 3 mos with no wrist trauma, and no palpable mass at the wrist. Ultrasound examination with a 10-MHz linear transducer was used to detect wrist pathology. A well-demarcated anechoic mass with posterior enhancement and without vascularity within the mass on sonography was defined as a ganglion cyst. RESULTS: Thirty-three of the 57 patients (58%) were diagnosed by sonographic examination as having a ganglion in the wrist joint. The size of the ganglion demonstrated on sonographic imaging ranged from 2 x 5 mm to 10 x 9 mm on a longitudinal scan of the wrist (with a mean of 4 x 7 mm.). Surgical excision was carried out in 12 patients who had ganglions diagnosed by sonographic examination; in all cases, the mucin content of the specimen was demonstrated. Eight patients underwent local aspiration followed by steroid injection under the guidance of ultrasound. The aspirated content was a jelly-like substance. In these 20 treated patients, symptoms of wrist pain improved after intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of occult carpal ganglion is common in chronic wrist pain patients. High-resolution sonographic examination facilitates early detection of occult carpal ganglion.