We examined the effects of age on stroke progression and outcome in order to explore the association between blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, neuronal damage, and functional recovery. Using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), young (3 months) and aged (18 months) rats were assessed for BBB disruption at 20min post-MCAO, and 24h post-MCAO with tissue plasminogen activator induced reperfusion at 120min. Results showed that BBB disruptions in aged rats occurred early and increased nearly two-fold at both the 20min and 24h time points when compared to young animals. Neuronal damage in aged rats was increased two-fold as compared to young rats at 24h, while no neuronal damage was observed at 20min. Young and aged rats exhibited neurological deficits when compared to sham-controls out to 14 days following MCAO and reperfusion; however, aged rats exhibited more severe onset of deficits and prolonged recovery. Results indicate that aged rats suffer larger infarctions, reduced functional recovery and increased BBB disruption preceding observable neuronal injury.

The 2011 outbreak in China showed that poliomyelitis-free countries remain at risk for outbreaks while the poliovirus circulates anywhere in the world. Global eradication of poliomyelitis will benefit all countries, even those that are currently free of poliomyelitis.

Background and Purpose Bryostatin, a potent protein kinase C (PKC) activator, has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in preclinical models of associative memory, Alzheimer's disease, global ischemia, and traumatic brain injury. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that administration of bryostatin provides a therapeutic benefit in reducing brain injury and improving stroke outcome using a clinically relevant model of cerebral ischemia with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) reperfusion in aged rats. Methods Acute cerebral ischemia was produced by reversible occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCAO) in 18-20 month old female Sprague-Dawley rats using an autologous blood clot with tPA-mediated reperfusion. Bryostatin was administered at 6 h post-MCAO then at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 d after MCAO. Functional assessment was conducted at 2, 7, 14, and 21 d after MCAO. Lesion volume and hemispheric swelling/atrophy were performed at 2, 7, and 21 d post-MCAO. Histological assessment of PKC isozymes was performed at 24 h post-MCAO. Results Bryostatin-treated rats showed improved survival post-MCAO, especially during the first 4 d. Repeated administration of bryostatin post-MCAO resulted in reduced infarct volume, hemispheric swelling/atrophy, and improved neurological function at 21 d post-MCAO. Changes in PKC alpha expression and PKC epsilon expression in neurons were noted in bryostatin-treated rats at 24 h post-MCAO. Conclusions Repeated bryostatin administration post-MCAO protected the brain from severe neurological injury post-MCAO. Bryostatin treatment improved survival rate, reduced lesion volume, salvaged tissue in infarcted hemisphere by reducing necrosis and peri-infarct astrogliosis, and improved functional outcome following MCAO.

This paper proposes a method for comparing and evaluating anti-windup proportional-integral (PI) control strategies. The so-called PI plane is used and its coordinate is composed of the error and the integral state. In addition, an anti-windup PI controller with integral state prediction is proposed. The anti-windup scheme can be easily analyzed and evaluated on the PI plane in detail. Representative anti-windup methods are experimentally applied to the speed control of a vector-controlled induction motor driven by a pulse width modulated (PWM) voltage-source inverter (VSI). The experimental results compare the anti-windup PI controllers. It is empathized that the initial value of the integral state at the beginning of the linear range dominates the control performance in terms of overshoot and settling time.

Typhoid fever remains a severe public health problem in developing countries. The emergence of resistant typhoid, particularly multidrug-resistant typhoid infections, highlights the necessity of monitoring the resistance characteristics of this invasive pathogen. In this study, we report a typhoid fever outbreak caused by multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi strains with an ACSSxtT pattern. Resistance genes conferring these phenotypes were harbored by a large conjugative plasmid, which increases the threat of Salmonella Typhi and thus requires close surveillance for dissemination of strains containing such genes.

Background and Purpose-This study utilized middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to assess inhibition of the NOX2 isoform of NADPH oxidase on brain injury and functional recovery in aged rats.Methods-Effects of NOX2 on the degree of brain injury and functional recovery following MCAO and tPA reperfusion was assessed in young adult and aged rats. Rats received apocynin (NOX2 inhibitor; 5 mg/kg) or saline 30 min prior to MCAO. At 24 h following MCAO, blood-brain barrier permeability (BBB), stroke infarct volume, edema formation, and oxidative damage were measured.Results-Apocynin treatment in aged rats increased mortality rate and failed to improve functional outcome, total infarct volume, edema formation, and BBB permeability. Aged rats displayed increased BBB permeability to sucrose in the contralateral hemisphere following MCAO and diminished antioxidant capacity in the brain as compared to young adult rats.Conclusions-We conclude that inhibition of NOX2 in the aged rat exacerbates stroke injury and diminishes functional outcome. These results suggest age is an important factor in stroke damage and more rigorous examination of apocynin as a therapeutic agent for treatment of stroke must be done.

An outbreak of fever and meningitis/encephalitis occurred in Xinjiang, China, from August 5 to September 3, 2004. In preliminary diagnostic testing, several cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples showed positive immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to Japanese encephalitis virus. Here, the CSF and serum samples of 6 cases collected at that time were tested by immunofluorescence assay (IFA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and plaque reduction neutralization assay (PRNT) for the existence of IgM antibody or neutralization antibody against West Nile virus (WNV) or other arboviruses. The results demonstrate the evidence of West Nile infection in Xinjiang, China.

Age is a primary risk factor in stroke that is often overlooked in animal studies. We contend that using aged animals yields insight into aspects of stroke injury and recovery that are masked, or not elicited, in younger animals. In this study, we examined effects of co-administration of a plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 derived peptide, EEIIMD, with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) on infarct volume and functional outcome in aged rats following a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Results of our study showed aged (18–20 months) rats treated with EEIIMD along with tPA had reduced cortical infarction volume. However, aged rats showed no improvement in total infarction volume, edema formation, or functional outcome as compared to aged rats administered only tPA. Young adult rats (3–4 months) treated with EEIIMD showed significant improvement in cortical and total infarction volumes, edema formation, and functional outcome. Striatal infarction volume was unaffected by EEIIMD treatment in both young adult and aged rats. These findings emphasize that physiological differences exist between young adult and aged rats and suggest that taking aging processes into account when assessing stroke may improve our ability to discern which therapeutics can be translated from bench to bedside.