Exoskeleton-Assisted Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity in Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in neurological deficits below the level of injury, causing motor dysfunction and various severe multisystem complications. Rehabilitative training plays a crucial role in the recovery of individuals with SCI, and exoskeleton serves as an emerging and promising tool for rehabilitation, especially in promoting neuroplasticity and alleviating SCI-related complications. This article reviews the classifications and research progresses of medical exoskeletons designed for SCI patients and describes their performances in practical application separately. Meanwhile, we discuss their mechanisms for enhancing neuroplasticity and functional remodeling, as well as their palliative impacts on secondary complications. The potential trends in exoskeleton design are raised according to current progress and requirements on SCI rehabilitation.

The whole-brain voxel-based morphometry study in early stage of T2DM patients.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the alterations in whole-brain gray matter density in early stage type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with cognitive impairment using magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Thirty-six cases of early stage T2DM patients with cognitive impairment (T2DM-CI), 34 cases of early stage T2DM patients without cognitive impairment (T2DM) and 30 cases of healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were used to identify the cognitive impairment. The whole-brain gray matter density was analyzed using 3D-T1 BRAVO imaging, using the voxel-based morphometry method on T1 structure imaging of two groups. RESULTS: The correlation analysis of total gray matter density with MMSE and MoCA scores in the T2DM-CI group was performed. There were no significant differences in MMSE and MoCA scores between the HC and T2DM groups. However, the MMSE and MoCA scores in the T2DM-CI group were significantly reduced compared with the T2DM group. There were no significant differences in age, gender, education, body mass index (BMI) or blood pressure among the three groups. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) results showed that the density of left triangle part of inferior frontal gyrus, orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus and opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus and left insula in the T2DM-CI group decreased compared with the T2DM group. Correlation analysis results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between total gray matter density and scores of MMSE and MoCA scores in the T2DM-CI group. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, total gray matter density is positively correlated with the scores of MMSE and MoCA in T2DM patients, which may be an early sign of cognitive impairment in patients with T2DM.

Iodine-125 seed brachytherapy inhibits non-small cell lung cancer by suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

PURPOSE: Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has posed a great clinical challenge with high mortality. Iodine-125 (I-125) seed brachytherapy has not been widely applied in clinic against NSCLC. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Mice were injected with human H23 NSCLC cells to establish a mouse xenograft model, which received I-125 seed implantation. The curative effect, pathological impairments, and survival rate of mice were investigated. Changes in the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, including N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and vimentin, in the xenograft tumors were analyzed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. RESULTS: The tumor volume and pathological effect were reduced by I-125 seed implant. I-125 seed implant also significantly improved survival rate of the model mice. Expression patterns of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and vimentin were reversed in I-125 seed-implanted mice in comparison with control mice, indicating suppressed EMT. CONCLUSIONS: I-125 seed brachytherapy significantly inhibits NSCLC by suppressing EMT in a mouse model.