Action potential (AP) burst firing caused by the activation of low-voltage-activated T-type Ca 21 channels is a unique mode of neuronal firing. T-type channels have been implicated in diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes, including epilepsy, autism, and mood regulation, but the brain structures involved remain incompletely understood. The medial habenula (MHb) is an epithalamic structure implicated in anxiety-like and withdrawal behavior. Previous studies have shown that MHb neurons fire tonic APs at a frequency of ;2-10 Hz or display depolarized low-amplitude membrane oscillations. Here, we report in C57BL/6J mice that a subpopulation of MHb neurons are capable of firing transient, high-frequency AP bursts mediated by T-type channels. Burst firing was observed following rebounding from hyperpolarizing current injections or during depolarization from hyperpolarized membrane potentials in ;20% of MHb neurons. It was rarely observed at baseline but could be evoked in MHb neurons displaying different initial activity states. Further, we show that T-type channel mRNA, in particular Ca v 3.1, is expressed in the MHb in both cholinergic and substance Pergic neurons. Pharmacological Ca v 3 antagonism blocked both burst firing and evoked Ca 21 currents in MHb neurons. Additionally, we observed high-frequency AP doublet firing at sustained depolarized membrane potentials that was independent of T-type channels. Thus, there is a greater diversity of AP firing patterns in MHb neurons than previously identified, including T-type channel-mediated burst firing, which may uniquely contribute to behaviors with relevance to neuropsychiatric disease.

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The aim of this study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy of lactoferrin (Lf) on dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)‑induced experimental colitis in BALB/c mice. Eighty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 4 groups; the normal, model, apo‑Lf and holo‑Lf groups. Fecal character, fecal occult blood, hematochezia and disease activity index (DAI) were recorded daily. The length of the colon was measured and histological scores were evaluated 28 days post‑treatment. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was also determined and the expression of interleukin‑1β (IL‑1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF‑α) were measured by quantitative (q)PCR. Lf relieved the inflammatory condition of DSS‑induced experimental colitis in mice. The DAI and histological scores of Lf‑treated mice were lower compared with those of mice in the control group. The length of the colon of Lf‑treated mice was longer compared with that of mice in the control group. Treatment with Lf decreased MPO activity and the expression levels of IL‑1β and TNF‑α. In addition, Lf was found to promote beneficial effects in a mouse model of experimental colitis. Treatment with apo‑Lf was superior to that of holo‑Lf in the mouse model of DSS‑induced experimental colitis. Supplemental therapy with apo‑Lf may provide an important new tool in the clinical management of ulcerative colitis.

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Solitary fibrous tumors are rare neoplasms that originate from mesenchymal tissues and have been found to occur in any site, including the spine and liver. Although most of solitary fibrous tumors have benign features, only 10–20% are malignant and prone to metastasis. No previous reports have described the malignant and metastatic Solitary fibrous tumor arising in both of the liver and thoracic vertebrae. In this article, we present the case of a 60-year-old woman who underwent gross total resection of a meningeal tumor in 2007. She presented 10 years later with a thoracic vertebral mass that caused relentless pain and a lesion in the right lobe of liver. She underwent marginal excision of the T3 tumor with T2-4 pedicular screw fixation in March 2017, then right hemi-hepatectomy was performed to remove the liver lesion in June 2017. Both of the lesions were confirmed to be a metastatic and malignant tumor after surgery. The literature lacks randomized controlled trials and large studies that define the natural history of malignant solitary fibrous tumors and recommendations of precise management plan for the disease. However, the best choice for treatment is gross total resection, which probably provide the optimal treatment to achieve long-term disease-free survival.

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