Plos One
-
Excessive exposure to loud noise can damage the cochlea and create a hearing loss. These pathologies coincide with a range of CNS changes including reorganisation of frequency representation, alterations in the pattern of spontaneous activity and changed expression of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Moreover, damage to the cochlea is often accompanied by acoustic disorders such as hyperacusis and tinnitus, suggesting that one or more of these neuronal changes may be involved in these disorders, although the mechanisms remain unknown. ⋯ Compared to sham-exposed controls, noise-exposed animals had significantly (p<0.05): lower levels of GABA(A)α1 in the contralateral AC at day-16 and day-32, lower levels of GAD-67 in the ipsilateral DCN at day-4, lower levels of Calb1 in the ipsilateral DCN at day-0, lower levels of GABA(A)α1 in the ipsilateral AC at day-4 and day-32. GAP-43 was reduced in the ipsilateral AC for the duration of the experiment. These complex fluctuations in protein expression suggests that for at least a month following acoustic trauma the auditory system is adapting to a new pattern of sensory input.
-
Clinical Trial
Feasibility of prehospital teleconsultation in acute stroke--a pilot study in clinical routine.
Inter-hospital teleconsultation improves stroke care. To transfer this concept into the emergency medical service (EMS), the feasibility and effects of prehospital teleconsultation were investigated. ⋯ Teleconsultation was feasible but technical performance and reliability have to be improved. The approach led to better stroke specific information; however, a superiority over regular EMS care was not found and in-hospital time intervals were unacceptably long in both groups. The feasibility of prehospital tele-stroke consultation has future potential to improve emergency care especially when no highly trained personnel are on-scene.
-
Lapatinib plus capecitabine is an effective treatment option for trastuzumab-refractory HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. We have investigated the correlation between quantitative measures of HER2, p95HER2, and HER3 and treatment outcomes using lapatinib and capecitabine. ⋯ These data suggest a correlation between high HER2 and high HER3 expression and treatment outcome, while no significant difference was observed between clinical outcome and p95 expression level in this cohort of HER2-positive, trastuzumab-refractory metastatic breast cancer patients treated with lapatinib and capecitabine.
-
ADP is an important physiological agonist that induces integrin activation and platelet aggregation through its receptors P2Y(1) (Gα(q)-coupled) and P2Y(12) (Gα(i)-coupled). P2Y(12) plays a critical role in platelet activation and thrombosis. Adenosine-based P2Y(12) antagonists, 2-methylthioadenosine 5'-monophosphate triethylammonium salt hydrate (2MeSAMP) and Cangrelor (AR-C69931MX) have been widely used to demonstrate the role of P2Y(12) in platelet function. Cangrelor is being evaluated in clinical trials of thrombotic diseases. However, a recent study reported that both 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor raise intra-platelet cAMP levels and inhibit platelet aggregation through a P2Y(12)-independent mechanism. ⋯ These data together demonstrate that 2MeSAMP and Cangrelor inhibit platelet function through the P2Y(12)-dependent mechanism both in vitro and in vivo.
-
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulates peripheral nerve regeneration. However, the origin of BNDF and its precise effect on nerve repair have not been clarified. In this study, we examined the role of BDNF from bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) in post-injury nerve repair. ⋯ Variant analysis of BDNF mRNA also confirmed this finding. BDNF+/- mice showed a loss of function with delayed histological recovery and BDNF+/+→BDNF+/- BMT mice showed complete recovery both functionally and histologically. These results suggested that the attenuated recovery of the BDNF+/- mice was rescued by the transplantation of BMCs and that BDNF from BMDCs has an essential role in nerve repair.