No abstract

The survival of motor neurons (MNs) is the key to recovery of the motor function after brachial plexus root avulsion (BPRA). (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) exerts neuroprotective roles in neurons under different pathological conditions. However, the role of EGCG in regulating motor neurons under BPRA remains to be unclear. In the present study, we investigated the functional role of EGCG both in vitro and in vivo. In an in vitro study, we observed that EGCG obviously increased the cell survival rate of MNs and FIG4 protein levels compared with the vehicle control, with a peak level observed at 50 μM; EGCG can also upregulate FIG4 to reduce the cell death of MNs and increase the neurite outgrowth under oxidative stress; moreover, EGCG can upregulate FIG4 to promote the functional recovery and the survival of MNs in the ventral horn in mice after BPRA. These combined results may lay the foundation for EGCG to be a novel strategy for the treatment of BPRA.

A universal, repeatable, and controllable integration of single-mode optical fiber and mixed-phase TiO2 is used to manufacture a compact fiber-integrated scattering device. Based on the device, we achieve a high-performance and compact fiber-based speckle spectrometer, which has a resolution of 20 pm over a bandwidth of 15 nm, in the 1550 nm range. We test the capability of our proposed spectrometer to reconstruct narrow linewidth and broadband optical spectrums, and compare the performance with that of a traditional optical spectrum analyzer.

Background: Post-stroke depression(PSD) lacks timely and effective treatment and virtual reality (VR) technology can create a lifelike experience and simulate users' physical presence in an immersive environment. It has been confirmed to have a positive effect on stroke and depression. Data about the efficacy VR on PSD are limited. The intensification of fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21) can improve depression and other emotional symptoms, but there is no study on its role in PSD.Methods: We enlisted 76 PSD patients (6 lost) and divided into the experimental group and control group randomly. The patient underwent psychological rehabilitation once a week for 50 minutes each time for a total of 12 weeks. The patients in the experimental group received psychological counseling and VR rehabilitation while patients in the control group also took the same pattern but without VR rehabilitation. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) were evaluated before rehabilitation, in the 4th week and at the end of rehabilitation respectively in two groups for the sake of observing changes in the patients' depression. Then 8 people in each group did functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and blood samples were taken for detection with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), IL-6, TNF-α and FGF21 by ELISA.Results: The result of fNIRS showed the hemodynamic activation in the prefrontal region of the experimental group was significantly increased. Both groups of FGF21 increased and compared with the control group, the experimental group has a greater upsurge and a faster increase rate.Conclusions: VR alleviates PSD. FGF21 is closely related to PSD，and it is likely to be a potential pathological mechanism of PSD. It suggests that VR is possible to improve PSD by increasing FGF21.Trial registration: We registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry which is the first level registration organization of WHO international clinical trial registration platform. The registration number is ChiCTR1900027987, the date of registration December 7, 2019.