Effects of the Left M1 iTBS on Brain Semantic Network Plasticity in Patients with Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: The left primary motor area (M1) stimulation has recently been revealed to promote post-stroke aphasia (PSA) recovery, of which a plausible mechanism might be the semantic and/or the mirror neuron system reorganization, but the direct evidence is still scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the functional connectivity (FC) alterations induced by the left M1 intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a new transcranial magnetic stimulation paradigm, in the semantic and mirror neuron systems of PSA patients. METHODS: Sixteen PSA patients accepted the left M1 iTBS and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) scanning before and immediately after the first session of iTBS, of which six underwent another fMRI scanning after twenty sessions of iTBS. Three brain networks covering the semantic and the mirror neuron systems were constructed using the fMRI data, and the FC alterations following one-session iTBS were investigated in the networks. Additional seed-based FC analyses were conducted to explore the longitudinal FC patterns changes during the course of multi-session iTBS. The Aphasia quotient of the Chinese version of the western aphasia battery (WAB-AQ) was used to assess the severity of the language impairments of the participants. The relationship between the longitudinal WAB-AQ and network FC changes was analyzed by Spearman's correlation coefficients in the multi-session iTBS sub-group. RESULTS: Decreased FCs were noted in the bilateral semantic rather than in the mirror neuron networks following one-session of iTBS (p < 0.05, network based statistical corrected). Longitudinal seed-based FC analyses revealed changing FC ranges along the multi-session iTBS course, extending beyond the semantic networks. No significant relationship was found between the longitudinal WAB-AQ and network FC changes in the multi-session iTBS sub-group. CONCLUSIONS: The left M1 iTBS might induce FC changes in the semantic system of PSA patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This research was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry website (http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx), and the registration number is ChiCTR2100041936.

[The estrogen-like and antioxidant effects of pilose antler blood wine in female rats with ovariectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether pilose antler blood wine has the effects of estrogen-like activity and antioxidant in the ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. METHODS: The rat model of oxidative stress was established by ovariectomy. The female rats were divided into 6 groups: normal control group, OVX group, base wine group, and 3 pilose antler blood wine treated OVX groups (low, medium and high dose of wine at a dose of 4.5 g/kg, 9.1 g/kg and 13.6 g/kg respectively). After the feeding of pilose antler blood wine (saline in control and OVX group) for 31 days, the serum estrodial level, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the content of methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) were measured. RESULTS: The one month treatment of daily drink of pilose antler blood wine could significantly promote the serum estrodial level in OVX rats (P < 0.05). Either low or medium dose could inhibit the decrease of serum SOD activity and the increase of MDA content in OVX rats, and the inhibition effects were more obvious in low dose group compared with high dose group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The daily drink of pilose antler blood wine showed the effects on increasing estrodial level and antioxidation in OVX rats.

Capturing Neuroplastic Changes after iTBS in Patients with Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Pilot fMRI Study.

Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a high-efficiency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm that has been applied to post-stroke aphasia (PSA). However, its efficacy mechanisms have not been clarified. This study aimed to explore the immediate effects of iTBS of the primary motor cortex (M1) of the affected hemisphere, on the functional activities and connectivity of the brains of PSA patients. A total of 16 patients with aphasia after stroke received iTBS with 800 pulses for 300 s. All patients underwent motor, language, and cognitive assessments and resting-state functional MRI scans immediately before and after the iTBS intervention. Regional, seed-based connectivity, and graph-based measures were used to test the immediate functional effects of the iTBS intervention, including the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), degree centrality (DC), and functional connectivity (FC) of the left M1 area throughout the whole brain. The results showed that after one session of iTBS intervention, the fALFF, DC, and FC values changed significantly in the patients' brains. Specifically, the DC values were significantly higher in the right middle frontal gyrus and parts of the left parietal lobe (p < 0.05), while fALFF values were significantly lower in the right medial frontal lobe and parts of the left intracalcarine cortex (p < 0.05), and the strength of the functional connectivity between the left M1 area and the left superior frontal gyrus was reduced (p < 0.05). Our findings provided preliminary evidences that the iTBS on the ipsilesional M1 could induce neural activity and functional connectivity changes in the motor, language, and other brain regions in patients with PSA, which may promote neuroplasticity and functional recovery.

Environmental barriers, functioning and quality of life in 2008 Wenchuan earthquake victims with spinal cord injury eight years after the disaster: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine environmental barriers, func-tioning, and quality of life in Wenchuan earthquake survivors with spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Thirty-two adult Wenchuan earthquake survivors with spinal cord injury. METHODS: Data were collected on environmental factors with the Nottwil Environmental Factors Inventory Short Form (NEFI-SF), physical and mental functioning with the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and quality of life with the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Descriptive analysis of environmental barriers and comparisons of SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF domain scores with normative data were performed. Variations in outcomes across demographic and lesion characteristics were examined using Mann-Whitney U test. Associations of NEFI-SF with SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF domain scores were explored using Spearman's correlation. RESULTS: Wenchuan earthquake survivors with spinal cord injury were affected by a large number of environmental barriers. Their functioning and quality of life were considerably reduced in comparison with respective reference populations. Neither environmental barriers nor functioning or quality of life varied systematically by demographic and lesion characteristics. Increased numbers of perceived environmental barriers were strongly associated with decreased scores across SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF sub-domains. CONCLUSION: Wenchuan earthquake survivors with SCI faced a considerable number of environmental barriers and showed decreased functioning and quality of life. Environmental barriers were strongly related to functioning and quality of life.

Bladder management of patients with spinal cord injuries sustained in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

This study's aim is provide an overview of the patients who suffered spinal cord injury (SCI) after the magnitude 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, including each patient's demographic and epidemiological characteristics, bladder management status, and quality of life (QOL). We also assessed the relationships between bladder management methods, symptomatic urinary tract infection (SUTI), and QOL. Two years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a cross-sectional face-to-face survey was conducted on 180 patients with SCI. A self-administered questionnaire and the WHOQOL-BREF assessment were used to assess injury-related information, bladder management methods, and SUTI. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test and analysis of variance. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study found that a male-to-female ratio of approximately 1.2:1, including 98 (54.4%) male patients and 82 (45.6%) female patients. Thoracic-level injuries were seen in 82 patients (45.56%), 60 (33.33%) patients had lumbar-level injuries, 18 (8.33%) patients had thoracolumbar-level injuries, and a small number of patients had cervical- or sacral-level injuries. Sixty-two patients (34.44%) demonstrated normal voiding, 65 (36.11%) required manually assisted voiding, 29 (16.11%) required catheterization, and 24 (13.33%) used aurine-collecting apparatus. The prevalence of SUTI was 43.89%. Patients who emptied their bladder via manually assisted voiding, catheterization, or with the use of a urine-collecting apparatus demonstrated higher rates of SUTI compared with patients who voided normally (p < 0.05); the patients who required catheterization had higher rates of SUTI compared with patients who required manually assisted voiding (p < 0.05). When manually assisted voiding and catheterization were compared with the use a urine-collecting apparatus, no statistically significant differences were observed in terms of the risk of developing SUTI. The patients in this study demonstrated low scores on the WHOQOL-BREF physical domain (11.61 ± 3.80), psychological domain (10.11 ± 3.63), social domain (11.46 ± 2.84), and environmental domain (11.86 ± 2.51). The patients who reported normal voiding also demonstrated the best QOL in terms of physical, psychological, and social component scores (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the percentage of women in this study is higher than that reported in other studies on traumatic causes of SCI. Patients who suffered SCI following the Wenchuan earthquake demonstrate poor bladder management status and are unable to take advantage of urodynamic testing that is used to monitor the functional state of the bladder. This study's findings indicate that bladder management methods influence the rate of SUTI and the QOL of patients with SCI. Caring for SCI patients following a disaster requires comprehensive long-term planning. Bladder management of patients with SCI is essential for improving the QOL of these patients.