Disrupted amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and causal connectivity in Parkinson's disease with apathy.

Apathy is a common non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to explore its associated neural substrates changes via amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and granger causality analysis (GCA). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were performed in 20 PD patients with apathy (PD-A), 22 PD patients without apathy (PD-NA) and 19 healthy volunteers. GCA, a new method exploring direction from one brain region to another, was based on brain regions showing alterations of neural activity as seeds, which were examined utilizing ALFF approach. The relationships between ALFF or GCA and apathetic symptoms were also assessed. Relative to PD-NA group, PD-A group indicated decreased ALFF in left orbital middle frontal gyrus and bilateral superior frontal gyrus (SFG). Only ALFF values in right SFG were negatively correlated with Apathy Scale (AS) scores. Then GCA with the seed of right SFG showed a positive feedback from right thalamus to ipsilateral SFG, which was positively correlated with AS scores. In conclusion, dysfunction in SFG and a positive feedback from thalamus to ipsilateral SFG contributed to presence of PD-related apathy, providing a new perspective for future studies on apathy in PD.

Scutellaria barbata inhibits angiogenesis through downregulation of HIF-1 α in lung tumor.

Hypoxia, a hallmark of many solid tumors, is associated with angiogenesis and tumor progression. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) plays a significant role in tumor angiogenesis. In this study, the authors constructed a selective platform to screen the traditional Chinese medicine as anti-angiogenic agent. The authors examined the molecular mechanism by which Scutellaria barbata regulates HIF-1-dependent expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is an important angiogenic factor. Hypoxia promotes angiogenesis by increasing VEGF expression and secretion. Herein, the expression of VEGF was decreased by treatment with S. barbata in tumor cells. Meanwhile, S. barbata reduced the migration and proliferation of endothelial cells under hypoxic condition. S. barbata inhibited the expression of HIF-1α, as well as phosphorylated their upstream signal mediators AKT. S. barbata significantly inhibited the tumor growth in vivo and immunohistochemical studies in the tumors revealed decreased intratumoral microvessel density. These results suggest that the traditional Chinese medicine therapy using S. barbata, which exerts anti-angiogenic activities, represents a promising strategy for the treatment of tumors.