Hemiplegia caused by stroke indicates dysfunction of the network between the brain and limbs, namely col ateral shock in the brain. Contralateral needling is the insertion of needles into acupoints on the relative healthy side of the body to treat diseases such as apoplexy. However, there is little wel-designed and control ed clinical evidence for this practice. This study investigated whether contralateral needling could treat hemiplegia after acute ischemic stroke in 106 randomly selected patients with acute ischemic stroke. These patients were randomly assigned to three groups:45 in the contralateral needling group, receiving acupuncture on the unaffected limbs; 45 in the tional acupuncture group, receiving acupuncture on the hemiplegic limbs; and 16 in the control group, receiving routine treatments without acupuncture. Acupuncture at acupoints Chize (LU5) in the upper limb and Jianliao (TE14) in the lower limb was performed for 45 minutes daily for 30 consecutive days. The therapeutic effective rate, Neurological Deficit Score, Modified Barthel Index and Fugl-Meyer Assessment were evaluated. The therapeutic effective rate of contralateral needl-ing was higher than that of conventional acupuncture (46.67% vs. 31.11%, P < 0.05). The neuro-logical deficit score of contralateral needling was significantly decreased compared with conven-tional acupuncture (P < 0.01). The Modified Barthel Index and Fugl-Meyer Assessment score of contralateral needling increased more significantly than those of conventional acupuncture (both P<0.01). The present findings suggest that contralateral needling unblocks col aterals and might be more effective than conventional acupuncture in the treatment of hemiplegia fol owing acute ischemic stroke.

The Kinect-based virtual reality system for the Xbox 360 enables users to control and interact with the game console without the need to touch a game control er, and provides rehabilitation training for stroke patients with lower limb dysfunctions. However, the underlying mechanism remains un-clear. In this study, 18 healthy subjects and five patients after subacute stroke were included. The five patients were scanned using functional MRI prior to training, 3 weeks after training and at a 12-week fol ow-up, and then compared with healthy subjects. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment and Wolf Motor Function Test scores of the hemiplegic upper limbs of stroke patients were significantly increased 3 weeks after training and at the 12-week fol ow-up. Functional MRI results showed that contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex was activated after Kinect-based virtual reality training in the stroke patients compared with the healthy subjects. Contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex, the bilateral supplementary motor area and the ipsilateral cerebel um were also activated during hand-clenching in al 18 healthy subjects. Our findings indicate that Kinect-based virtual reality training could promote the recovery of upper limb motor function in subacute stroke patients, and brain reorganization by Kinect-based virtual reality training may be linked to the contralateral sen-sorimotor cortex.

Previous studies have demonstrated the protective effect of hypoxic preconditioning on acute ce-rebral infarction, but the mechanisms underlying this protection remain unclear. To investigate the protective mechanisms of hypoxic preconditioning in relation to its effects on angiogenesis, we in-duced a photochemical model of cerebral infarction in an inbred line of mice (BALB/c). Mice were then exposed to hypoxic preconditioning 30 minutes prior to model establishment. Results showed significantly increased vascular endothelial growth factor and CD31 expression in the ischemic penumbra at 24 and 72 hours post infarction, mainly in neurons and vascular endothelial cells. Hy-Hypoxic preconditioning increased vascular endothelial growth factor and CD31 expression in the ischemic penumbra and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor was positively related to that of CD31. Moreover, hypoxic preconditioning reduced the infarct volume and improved rological function in mice. These findings indicate that the protective role of hypoxic preconditioning in acute cerebral infarction may possibly be due to an increase in expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and CD31 in the ischemic penumbra, which promoted angiogenesis.

Oxygen inhalation has been shown to increase oxygen supply to tissues after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, protecting injured neural cells. However, hyperbaric oxygen may aggravate oxidative stress. By contrast, normobaric oxygen has the rapid and non-invasive characteristics and may have therapeutic effects on ischemic/hypoxic disease. Rats inhaled normobaric oxygen (95%O 2 ) for 6 consecutive days, and then a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia was established. Nissl and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining revealed that normobaric oxygen pretreat-ment improved neurological deficits and reduced infarct volume. Immunohistochemical staining and western blot assay revealed that the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, Notch-1, vascular endothelial growth factor and erythropoietin were increased. Behavioral studies also verified that neurological deficit scores increased. The hypoxia-inducible factor inhibitor 2-methoxyestradiol treatment at 1 hour before administration of normobaric oxygen could suppress the protective effect of normobaric oxygen. Given these observations, normobaric oxygen pretreatment may al eviate cerebral ischemic injury via the hypoxia-inducible factor signal pathway.

Hyperhomocysteinemia and abnormal blood lipids are independent risk factors for stroke. However, whether both factors exert a synergistic effect in the onset of stroke remains unclear. The present study is a retrospective analysis of 2 089 cases of stroke and 2 089 control cases of simple inter-vertebral disk protrusion using a paired multivariate logistic regression method. Adjusting for known confounding variables including the patients’ age, gender, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, patient and family medical history, and clinical biochemical indices, elevated homocysteine level was related to the onset of stroke. Patients with elevated homocysteine levels and abnormal blood lipids showed a 40.9%increase in the risk for stroke compared to patients with normal ho-mocysteine levels and blood lipids (odds ratio 1.409;95%confidence interval 1.127-1.761). These results indicate that elevated homocysteine and abnormal blood lipids exert synergistic effects in the onset of stroke. Patients with elevated homocysteine levels and abnormal blood lipids are predis-posed to stroke.

Supratentorial cerebral infarction can cause functional inhibition of remote regions such as the ce-rebel um, which may be relevant to diaschisis. This phenomenon is often analyzed using positron emission tomography and single photon emission CT. However, these methods are expensive and radioactive. Thus, the present study quantified the changes of infarction core and remote regions after unilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion using apparent diffusion coefficient values. Diffu-sion-weighted imaging showed that the area of infarction core gradual y increased to involve the cerebral cortex with increasing infarction time. Diffusion weighted imaging signals were initial y in-creased and then stabilized by 24 hours. With increasing infarction time, the apparent diffusion coefficient value in the infarction core and remote bilateral cerebel um both gradual y decreased, and then slightly increased 3-24 hours after infarction. Apparent diffusion coefficient values at mote regions (cerebel um) varied along with the change of supratentorial infarction core, suggesting that the phenomenon of diaschisis existed at the remote regions. Thus, apparent diffusion coeffi-cient values and diffusion weighted imaging can be used to detect early diaschisis.

Hypobaric hypoxia can cause severe brain damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, and is involved in hypoxic brain injury. However, little is currently known about the mechanisms responsible for mi-tochondrial dysfunction in hypobaric hypoxic brain damage. In this study, a rat model of hypobaric hypoxic brain injury was established to investigate the molecular mechanisms associated with mi-tochondrial dysfunction. As revealed by two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis, 16, 21, and 36 differential protein spots in cerebral mitochondria were observed at 6, 12, and 24 hours post-hypobaric hypoxia, respectively. Furthermore, ten protein spots selected from each hypobaric hypoxia subgroup were similarly regulated and were identified by mass spectrometry. These de-tected proteins included dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 2, creatine kinase B-type, isova-leryl-CoA dehydrogenase, elongation factor Ts, ATP synthase beta-subunit, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase, electron transfer flavoprotein alpha-subunit, Chain A of 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase, NADH dehydrogenase iron-sulfur protein 8 and tropomyosin beta chain. These ten proteins are al involved in the electron transport chain and the function of ATP synthase. Our findings indicate that hypobaric hypoxia can induce the differential expression of several cerebral mitochondrial proteins, which are involved in the regulation of mitochondrial energy production.

Diffusion-tensor imaging can be used to observe the microstructure of brain tissue. Fractional sotropy reflects the integrity of white matter fibers. Fractional anisotropy of a young adult brain is low in gray matter, high in white matter, and highest in the splenium of the corpus cal osum. Thus, we selected the anterior and posterior limbs of the internal capsule, head of the caudate nucleus, se-mioval center, thalamus, and corpus cal osum (splenium and genu) as regions of interest when using diffusion-tensor imaging to observe fractional anisotropy of major white matter fiber tracts and the deep gray matter of healthy rhesus monkeys aged 4-8 years. Results showed no laterality ferences in fractional anisotropy values. Fractional anisotropy values were low in the head of date nucleus and thalamus in gray matter. Fractional anisotropy values were highest in the sple-nium of corpus cal osum in the white matter, fol owed by genu of the corpus cal osum and the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Fractional anisotropy values were lowest in the semioval center and posterior limb of internal capsule. These results suggest that fractional anisotropy values in major white matter fibers and the deep gray matter of 4-8-year-old rhesus monkeys are similar to those of healthy young people.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy and safety of short-term and long-term use of antidepres-sants in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
DATA SOURCES:A literature search of randomized, double-blind, control ed trials published until December 2012 was performed using the PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Medline and Cochrane Central Register of Control ed Trials databases. The keywords“bipolar disorder, bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar mania, bipolar depression, cyclothymia, mixed mania and depression, rapid cycling and bipolar disorder”, AND “antidepressant agent, antidepressive agents second-generation, antidepressive agents tricyclic, monoamine oxidase inhibitor, noradrenaline uptake in-hibitor, serotonin uptake inhibitor, and tricyclic antidepressant agent” were used. The studies that were listed in the reference list of the published papers but were not retrieved in the above-mentioned databases were supplemented.
STUDY SELECTION: Studies selected were double-blind randomized control ed trials assessing the efficacy and safety of antidepressants in patients with bipolar disorder. Al participants were aged 18 years or older, and were diagnosed as having primary bipolar disorder. Antidepressants or antidepressants combined with mood stabilizers were used in experimental interventions. Placebos, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics and other antide pressants were used in the control interventions. Studies that were quasi-randomized studies, or used antidepressants in combination with antipsy-chotics in the experimental group were excluded. Al analyses were conducted using Review Man-ager 5.1 provided by the Cochrane Col aboration.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The primary outcome was the response and switching to mania. The secondary outcomes included remission, discontinuation rate, and suicidality.
RESULTS: Among 5 001 treatment studies published, 14 double-blind randomized control ed trials involving 1 244 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Eleven short-term studies and three maintenance studies were included. Studies suggested that pa-tients treated with antidepressants were not significantly more likely to achieve higher response and remission rates in the short-term or long-term treatment than patients treated with placebo and other medications. Antidepressants were not associated with an in-creased risk of discontinuation, relapse or suicidality. When one antidepressant was compared with another, no significant difference in efficacy and tolerability was found.
CONCLUSION:Existing evidence of efficacy does not support the short-term or long-term application of antidepressant therapy in patients with bipolar disorder, although the tolerability and safety of antidepressants have been general y acknowledged. There is a need for large-sample, double-blind, randomized control ed trials to elucidate the role of antidepressants in patients with different subcategories of bipolar disorder.