Effects of whole body vibration combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy on spasticity and balance gait parameters in hemiplegic patients with stroke / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Stroke patients may have various sensory-motor disorders, such as spasticity, muscle weakness or sensory damage. Spasticity affects 20% to 40% of stroke patients. Patients with spasticity may have problems such as pain, motor function damage, and the decreased range of motion, which leads to decline of activity and quality of daily life. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a technique that can improve post-stroke spasticity. Whole body vibration (WBV), as a passive neuromuscular muscle stimulation technique, can improve the posture control, muscle strength, and muscle work of different people. At present, there are still few studies using WBV combined with ESWT for the treatment of hemiplegic patients with stroke. This study aims to explore the effects of WBV combined with ESWT on spasticity of the affected lower limb and gait function in stroke patients.@*METHODS@#From March 2020 to March 2021, 50 hemiplegic patients with stroke were treated in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the First Hospital of Changsha and they were assigned into a control group and a combined group, 25 cases per group. Both groups carried out conventional treatment, while the control group undertook the ESWT and fake WBV based on conventional treatment, and the combined group undertook ESWT after WBV and conventional treatment. Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Lower Extremity portion of the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FMA-LE), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and parameters of three-dimensional gait analysis including kinematic parameters (peak value of hip flexion and knee flexion) and spatiotemporal parameters (velocity, cadence and stride length) were assessed before and after 4-week treatment between the 2 groups.@*RESULTS@#After 4 weeks of treatment, MAS scores in 2 groups were lower than before (both P<0.05), and the combined group was lower than the control group (P<0.001); BBS and FMA-LE scores were higher than those before treatment (both P<0.05), and the combined group was higher than the control group (both P<0.001); in the control group, the walking speed, stride frequency, and stride length were higher than those before treatment (all P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the peak value of flexion hip and peak value of flexion knee (both P<0.05); the peak value of hip flexion, peak value of knee flexion, step speed, step frequency, and stride length in the combined group were higher than those before treatment (all P<0.05), and were higher than those in control group (P<0.05 or P<0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#WBV combined with ESWT can improve the spasticity and motor function of the affected lower extremity, balance, and gait in hemiplegic patients with stroke.

Association between angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the association between the polymorphism of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and Alzheimer's disease (AD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This case-control study involved 201 AD patients and 257 healthy subjects matched for age and gender as the control group. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization time of flight mass spectrometry were used to examine the rs4291, rs4309, and rs4343 of ACE gene, and the difference in genotypes, allelotype frequencies and haplotype frequencies were analyzed between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No statistic difference was found in the genotype and allelotype frequencies of rs4291 locus between AD and control groups (P>0.05). A significant difference was found in the genotype and allelotype frequencies of rs4309 between the two groups with a significant increase in the C allelotype frequency in AD group (OR=1.917, 95% CI=1.431-2.568, P<0.05). The difference in the genotype frequency of rs4343 was not significant between the two groups, but the allelotype frequencies differed significantly with a decreased A allelotype frequency in AD group(OR=0.714, 95% CI=0.532-0.957, P=0.024). Analysis of the linkage disequilibrium among the loci of rs4291, rs4309 and rs4343 showed a D' all above 0.65 between one another. Haplotype analysis confirmed the existence of 5 haplotypes, namely ATA, ACA, TCA, TCG and TTG, indicating a negative correlation between haplotype ATA and AD occurrence (OR=0.558, 95% CI=0.420-0.741, P<0.05) and positive correlations of haplotype ACA and TCA with AD occurrence (ACA: OR=4.883, 95% CI=2.267-10.518, P<0.05; TCA: OR=2.269, 95% CI=1.083-4.754, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The polymorphism of rs4291 may have no relation with the incidence of AD. Polymorphisms of s4309 and rs4343 may be related to AD, and ATA, ACA and TCA haplotypes composed of rs4291/rs4309/rs4343 may be related to AD.</p>

β-amyloid peptide deposition and expression of related miRNAs in the cerebellum of a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the presence of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) deposition in the cerebellum and the expression of related miRNAs in the cerebellum of a mouse model of Alzheimer disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twelve 12-month-old APPswe/PSδE9 double transgenic mice and 12 wild-type C57 mice were sacrificed and the brain tissues were taken for examination. The right hemisphere was stained with Congo red to observe the deposition of amyloid substances, and from the left hemisphere, the hippocampus and the cerebellum were dissected for detecting the expression of miRNA-135a-5p, miRNA-298-5p, miRNA-466b-3p and miR-669f-3p using real-time PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Congo red staining revealed the presence of Aβ deposition in both the hippocampus and the cerebellum of the transgenic mice but not in the control mice. Real-time PCR showed a significantly lower expression of the 4 miRNAs in the hippocampus in the transgenic mice than in the control mice (P<0.05). The expression of miRNA-135a-5p, miRNA-298-5p, and miR-669f-3p in the cerebellum was significantly lower in the transgenic mice than in the control mice (P<0.05). The expression of miRNA-298-5p and miR-669f-3p in the hippocampus was significantly lower than that in the cerebellum of the transgenic mice (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>β deposition also occurs in the cerebellum of APPswe/PSδE9 double transgenic mice, and its formation might be related to the down-regulation of miRNA-135a-5p, miRNA-298-5p, and miR-669f-3p.</p>

Real-time PCR for detecting differential expressions of microRNAs in the brain of a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the expression of miRNA-135a-5p, miRNA-135a-2-3p, miRNA-298-5p, miRNA-466b-3p and miR-669f-3p in the brain tissue of the APPswe/PS δE9 double transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease using real-time PCR.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Six-month-old APPswe/PS δE9 double transgenic mice and wild-type C57 mice of the same species were examined for the expressions of miRNA-135a-5p, miRNA-135a-2-3p, miRNA-298-5p, miRNA-466b-3p and miR-669f-3p in the brain tissue using real-time PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The relative expression levels of the 5 miRNAs in the transgenic versus the wild-type mice were 0.73∓0.27 vs 1.08∓0.58, 2.47∓6.15 vs 1.65∓0.67, 0.72∓0.14 vs 1.31∓0.73, 0.57∓0.34 vs 1.06∓0.35, and 0.63∓0.26 vs 1.02∓0.18, respectively, showing significance differences in the expressions of miRNA-135a-5p, miRNA-298-5p, miRNA-466b-3p, and miR-669f-3p between the two groups (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>miRNA-135a-5p, miRNA-298-5p, miRNA-466b-3p and miR-669f-3p are expressed differentially in APPswe/PS δE9 double transgenic mice, suggesting their important roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease.</p>

Expression of STAT3 and P-STAT3 in the brain of a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and P-STAT3 in the brain of the APPswe/PS δE9 double transgenic mouse model of Alzhaimer's disease (AD) and investigate their possible role in AD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>APPswe/PS δE9 double transgenic mice and control mice were examined for cerebral STAT3 and P-STAT3 expressions using immunothistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>STAT3 and P-STAT3 were expressed in the different regions of mouse brain. In the transgenic mice and the control mice, the positivity rates of STAT3 were 93.75% and 87.50% in the cerebral cortex, 87.50% and 43.75% in the basal forebrain, 81.25% and 37.50% in the hippocampus, and 62.50% and 0.00% in the cerebellum, respectively, showing significant differences between the mice in the STAT3 expressions in the basal forebrain, hippocampus and cerebellum (P<0.05). The positivity rates of P-STAT3 in the two groups were 0.00% and 0.00% in the cerebral cortex, 68.75% and 0.00% in the basal forebrain, 62.50% and 12.50% in the hippocampus, and 43.75% and 0.00% in the cerebellum, respectively, showing also significant differences in the basal forebrain, hippocampus and cerebellum (P<0.05). The expression of STAT3 was positively correlated with that of P-STAT3 in transgenic AD mice (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>STAT3 and P-STAT3 are highly expressed in the basal forebrain, hippocampus and cerebellum in transgenic AD mice and may participate in the pathological process of AD.</p>

Expression profile of miRNAs in APP swe/PSΔE9 transgenic mice / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the changes of miRNA expression profiles in APPswe/PSδE9 transgenic mice and explore the possible roles of miRNA in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using miRNA chip technique, we examined the miRNA expression in the brain tissue of 6-month-old APPswe/PSδE9 transgenic mice, with age-matched wild-type mice as the control group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Twelve miRNAs showed differential expressions by more than two folds in APPswe/PSδE9 transgenic mice, namely miRNA-135a, miRNA-135a-2*, miRNA-298, miRNA-466b-3p, miR-669-3p, miR-142-5p, miR-144, miR-466f-3p, miR-466g, miR-200a, miR-200b and miR-96. Five miRNAs were significantly down-regulated in the transgenic mice, including miRNA-135a, miRNA-135a-2*, miRNA-298, miRNA-466b-3p, and miR-669-3p.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The 5 down- regulated miRNA may play important roles in the pathogenesis of AD in APPswe/PSδE9 transgenic mice.</p>