Spinal cord decompression reduces rat neural cell apoptosis secondary to spinal cord injury

Objective: To determine whether spinal cord decompression plays a role in neural cell apoptosis after spinal cord injury. Study design: We used an animal model of compressive spinal cord injury with incomplete paraparesis to evaluate neural cell apoptosis after decompression. Apoptosis and cellular damage were assessed by staining with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labelling (TUNEL) and immunostaining for caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax. Methods: Experiments were conducted in male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=78) weighing 300~400 g. The spinal cord was compressed posteriorly at T10 level using a custom-made screw for 6 h, 24 h or continuously, followed by decompression by removal of the screw. The rats were sacrificed on Day 1 or 3 or in Week 1 or 4 post-decompression. The spinal cord was removed en bloc and examined at lesion site, rostral site and caudal site (7.5 mm away from the lesion). Results: The numbers of TUNEL-positive cells were significantly lower at the site of decompression on Day 1, and also at the rostral and caudal sites between Day 3 and Week 4 post-decompression, compared with the persistently compressed group. The numbers of cells between Day 1 and Week 4 were immunoreactive to caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X-protein (Bax), but not to Bcl-2, correlated with those of TUNEL-positive cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that decompression reduces neural cell apoptosis following spinal cord injury.     

从平射方位投影推探地图投影的变形规律

地图投影是地图学的数学基础。地图投影的变形规律是判断和选择投影的关键。通过对方位投影的变形分析 ,推导出圆柱、圆锥等一般地图投影的变形规律 ,在地图学的研究中尝试一种由特殊到一般的推理方法     

New strategies for the repair of spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury （SCI） leads to several neu- rologic damages to patients with sensory and motor func- tion loss. Although some inspiring results were reported in animal, even in non-human primate models, the clinical translation of these research achievements barely move forward for the SCI patients. This review mainly focused on the pathogenesis of the primary and secondary injury, the clinical therapies and the new technologies in spinal cord injury. Moreover, the key scientific issues on this field were discussed in the review. Finally, some suggestions were proposed for the scientific and clinical researches.     

Functional regeneration of sensory axons into the adult spinal cord

The arrest of dorsal root axonal regeneration at the transitional zone between the peripheral and central nervous system has been repeatedly described since the early twentieth century. Here we show that, with trophic support to damaged sensory axons, this regenerative barrier is surmountable. In adult rats with injured dorsal roots, treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-3 (NT3) and glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), but not brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), resulted in selective regrowth of damaged axons across the dorsal root entry zone and into the spinal cord. Dorsal horn neurons were found to be synaptically driven by peripheral nerve stimulation in rats treated with NGF, NT3 and GDNF, demonstrating functional reconnection. In behavioural studies, rats treated with NGF and GDNF recovered sensitivity to noxious heat and pressure. The observed effects of neurotrophic factors corresponded to their known actions on distinct subpopulations of sensory neurons. Neurotrophic factor treatment may thus serve as a viable treatment in promoting recovery from root avulsion injuries. I     

减小长度投影变形的一种地图投影新方法

以规则的经纬网格为单元，以每4个网格角点所构成的平面来切割并逼近椭球面，椭球面上同纬度的点子均以椭球短轴上的相应点为投影中心投影到各切割平面，采用这种类似楔形的投影方式，将减小长度投影变形的最大值，并使相邻图幅之间保持空间连续．突破了传统地图投影的禁锢，基于新大地坐标系对这种新的地图投影方法进行理论研究和数据验证．     

Somatic/ visceral sensory neurons in the spinal cord and synaptic/junctional activity in the spinal ganglion

Somato-visceral interaction or acupoint-visceral interaction is an important subject that greatly concerns scholars of both Chinese traditional and Western modern medicine. The role of our newly discovered spinal projection neurons and type A or C spinal ganglion neurons in convergence and integration of somato-visceral sensation is introduced. The possible challenge brought about by these related results onto some traditional concepts in neuroscience is also discussed.     

A topographic map of recruitment in spinal cord

Animals move over a range of speeds by using rhythmic networks of neurons located in the spinal cord. Here we use electrophysiology and in vivo imaging in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) to reveal a systematic relationship between the location of a spinal neuron and the minimal swimming frequency at which the neuron is active. Ventral motor neurons and excitatory interneurons are rhythmically active at the lowest swimming frequencies, with increasingly more dorsal excitatory neurons engaged as swimming frequency rises. Inhibitory interneurons follow the opposite pattern. These inverted patterns of recruitment are independent of cell soma size among interneurons, but may be partly explained by concomitant dorso-ventral gradients in input resistance. Laser ablations of ventral, but not dorsal, excitatory interneurons perturb slow movements, supporting a behavioural role for the topography. Our results reveal an unexpected pattern of organization within zebrafish spinal cord that underlies the production of movements of varying speeds.     

Neural stem cell transplantation in the repair of spinal cord injury

Neural stem cells are a pronising candidate for neural transplantation aimed at neural cell replacement and repair of the damaged host central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies using neural stem cells have shown that implanted neural stem cells can effectively incorporate into the damaged CNS and differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The recent explosion in the field of neural stem cell research has provided insight into the inductive factors influencing neural stem cell differentiation and may yield potential therapies for several neurological disorders, including spinal cord injury. In this review, we summarize recent studies involving neural stem cell biology in both rodents and humans. We also discuss unique advantages and possible mechanisms of using neural stem cell trans plantation in the repair of spinal cord injury.