Arterial occlusions of short duration (< 25 minutes) produced, in 76 of 121 experiments (63%), brain lesions characterized by selective neuronal necrosis and various glial responses (or incomplete infarction). This lesion is entirely different from the pannecrosis/cavitation typical of an infarction that appears 3 to 4 days after a prolonged arterial occlusion. Delayed neuronal necrosis, secondary to a transient arterial occlusion or increasing numbers of necrotic neurons in experiments with variable periods of reperfusion, was a response observed only at a predictable segment of the frontoparietal cortex.

Objective The present study aimed to explore the role of P2Y 1 receptor in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) production and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) secretion of astrocytes under ischemic insult and the related signaling pathways. Methods Using transient right middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and oxygen-glucose-serum deprivation for 2 h as the model of ischemic injury in vivo and in vitro, immunofluorescence, quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to investigate location of P2Y 1 receptor and GDNF, the expression of GFAP and GDNF, and the changes of signaling molecules. Results Blockage of P2Y 1 receptor with the selective antagonist N 6 -methyl-2'-deoxyadenosine 3',5'-bisphosphate diammonium (MRS2179) reduced GFAP production and increased GDNF production in the antagonist group as compared with simple ischemic group both in vivo and in vitro. Oxygen-glucose-serum deprivation and blockage of P2Y 1 receptor caused elevation of phosphorylated Akt and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), and reduction of phosphorylated Janus kinase2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (STAT3, Ser727). After blockage of P2Y 1 receptor and deprivation of oxygen-glucose-serum, AG490 (inhibitor of JAK2) reduced phosphorylation of STAT3 (Ser727) as well as expression of GFAP; LY294002, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), decreased phosphorylation of Akt and CREB; the inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase1/2 (MEK1/2) U0126, an important molecule of Ras/extracellular signalregulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway, decreased the phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT3 (Ser727), Akt and CREB. Conclusion These results suggest that P2Y 1 receptor plays a role in the production of GFAP and GDNF in astrocytes under transient ischemic condition and the related signaling pathways may be JAK2/STAT3 and PI3-K/Akt/CREB, respectively, and that crosstalk probably exists between them.

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The study aims to explore the protection mechanism of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (exo-bFGF) in brain ischemia. The first part of experiment was to determine the optimal time window for the permeation of exo-bFGF through damaged blood-brain barrier in rats with permanently occluded middle cerebral arteries. 125I labeled bFGF was administered to the rats through the caudal vein. The level of gamma-rays of 125I-bFGF in the ischemic brain were found to increase at 2 h and a high level was maintained for 14 days. The morphology of the basement membrane of capillaries was observed using anti-blood-brain barrier basement membrane glycoprotein immunohistochemistry. The normal continuous linear or ribbon-like immunostain of the basement membrane became granular at 0.5 h, gradually faint and finally negative. The newly formed capillaries at the edge of the infarct still showed a negative stain after 14 days. The result suggested the optimal time window of exo-bFGF began 2 h after insult. The second part of experiment was to observe the dynamic expression of early growth response protein (Egr-1), endogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (endo-bFGF) and bFGF receptor (bFGFR) using immunohistochemistry after exo-bFGF is administered to brain. Egr-1 was more significantly enhanced in the exo-bFGF-used group than in the control group. Endo-bFGF increased gradually, reaching its peak at 7 days in the control group, while in experiment group, the endo-bFGF expression showed its first peak at 6 h, indicating that exo-bFGF could induce earlier and stronger expression of endo-bFGF. The bFGFR-group presented an early expression, reaching its maximal level at 3 h, and declining at 6 h. There were no difference in expression of bFGFR between the two groups. The infarct areas reduced from 17% to 24% in the different time intervals. The results suggested that in exo-bFGF enhanced Egr-1 protein. Egr-1 in turn might play an important role in up-regulating the expression of endo-bFGF which overlapped with the expression of bFGFR to ensure the combination of ligand and receptor to protect against brain ischemia.

To our knowledge, this is the first report of Danon disease caused by a synonymous exon mutation that affected mRNA splicing, which indicates that a synonymous substitution may not be silent when it is in the exon sequences close to the splice sites. It is also the first description of Danon disease clinically presenting as druginduced myopathy at onset; the pathological changes might be the key point for making a differential diagnosis. *These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Objective Intravenous administration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is effective to reduce the volume of cerebral infract due to ischemia. This study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanism, especially the signal transduction pathways, involved in this protective role of bFGF. Methods Anoxia-reoxygenation treated atrocytes were used to study the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MAPK/ERK kinase, MEK)-ERK signaling pathway after exogenous bFGF administration by Western blot. Electrophoretic mobile shift assay was used to detect the binding activity of early growth response factor-1 (Egr-1), an important transcription factor for endogenous bFGF. Results bFGF could protect some signal transduction proteins from the oxygen-derived free radicals induced degradation. ERK1/2 was activated and involved in Egr-1 binding activity enhancement induced by exogenous bFGF. Conclusion MEK-ERK MAPK cascade may be an important signal transduction pathway contributed to bFGF induced enhancement of Egr-1 binding activity in anoxia-reoxygenation injured astrocytes.

The clinical syndrome known as Ischemic stroke, secondary to the occlusion of an intracranial artery, once considered an ineluctably catastrophic event, may be susceptible of being improved thrgugh the application of newly developed therapeutic interventions. The evidence favoring this optimistic outlook is based on three separate but probably interrelated observations: (1) There exists a lapse of hours, perhaps days, between the ictus (i.e., the appearance of a focal neurologic deficit or stroke) and the time when irreversible tissue injury (i.e., widespread pannecrosis) becomes demonstrable. This time lnter-Val, generally known as the therapeutic window, may be measured in hours or days depending on the degree or severity of the post occlusive ischemia.(2) Reopening the artery, within a reasonable period of time, has beneficial effects in terms of: (a) improving the neurologic function, and (b) decreasing the numbers of necrotic neurons as well as preventing the appearance of pannecrosis or infarction. (3) The progression from the early ischemic changes (potentially reversible) to the development of an infarct may be Influenced by the effects of selected cytokines, in particular those of interleukin 1 (IL-1 ).In this review we illustrate selected structural features of the various brain lesions induced by either permanent or transient arterial occlusions. Moreover, we discuss the possible Involvement of interleukins in the progression of the brain lesion based on experiments utilizing the administration of a human recombinant 1L-1 receptor antagonist. Combined with the efforts aimed at restoring the normal circulatory conditions, therapeutic interventions that inhibit specific cytokines may contribute to improve the outcome of ischemic strokes.

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