Neurological Disorders

Objective: To observe whether skilled aerobic exercise (SAE) could reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and apoptosis of dopamine neuron by activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway and improves motor function in Parkinson' s disease (PD) model rats.

Methods: The PD models were established by injection into the right SNC (substantia nigra, compact part) and VTA (ventral tegmental area) on the rat stereolocator with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). A cylindrical test was used to was used to test motor function. The expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in midbrain was detected by immunohistochemistry, the expression of genes and proteins related to the Wnt/β-catenin pathway was detected by Western blot. The level of Irisin in serum was identified through an enzyme-linke d immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: It was determined that 28 days of SAE improved motor function from Parkinson disease. In model group, the expression of TH in midbrain and FNDC5 in skeletal muscle was significantly down-regulated, the content of Irisin in serum decreased, the expression level of Bip/Grp78 and CHOP was up-regulated, the expression level of Wnt, β-catenin and P-GSK3β (Ser9) were down-regulated, while P-GSK3β (Tyr216) was up-regulated, the movement ability of forelimbs decreased (P<0.05), and the rotation behavior induced by Apo significantly increased in model group (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Mid-long term SAE could up-regulate the expression of FNDC5 in skeletal muscle, increase the content of Irisin in serum, reduce the level of ERS in midbrain, increase the activity of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, down-regulate the activity of Gsk3β, reduce the apoptosis of DA neurons in midbrain substantia nigra, and improve the motor function of PD model rats.

Background: Since it was first mentioned in the early 200 century, the brain gut axis, a bidirectional pathway mediating between the gastrointestinal system and the central nervous system (CNS), has attracted increasing attention and has been found to play an important role in the treatment of certain diseases. Our study aims to analyze the scientific results of the brain gut axis research and identify the major research hotspots and frontier areas of the brain gut axis.

Materials and methods: Publications focusing on the brain gut axis were retrieved from the Web of Science core collection database and screened according to the inclusion criteria. Citespace5.8.R3 and Microsoft Excel 2019 were used to evaluate and visualize the results, including the generation of web maps and the analysis of annual publications, countries, categories, bibliographic and co-cited references, and keywords, etc. The retrieval time of the article was from January 1^st, 2012 to March 31^st, 2022.

Results: A total of 2309 original articles related to the brain gut axis were retrieved, and the overall number of those articles showed a rapid rising trend. According to our research results, the articles published by Clarke and G in 2013 are the most symbolic references in the field of brain gut axis, with the highest citation rate (910 times). Nutrition is the most active Journal (81 articles) and the most published articles are in the United States (661 articles). We also observed that the leading institutions are Univ coll cork (82 articles) and cryan JF, John cryan, Dinan TG, which have made outstanding contributions in this field. Additionally, the most common keywords are the gut and most of the mechanisms of the gut, the role of microorganisms in the gut flora brain axis and their application in intestinal syndrome.

Conclusion: With increasing evidence on the role of the brain gut axis in IBS and other diseases, application of the brain gut axis has gradually become a new research hotspot in clinical treatment, which deserves further research.

Purpose: Significant changes in treatment centers were implemented during COVID-19 pandemics. Understanding how these alterations impacted cancer patients is a subject that needs to be investigated.

Methods: Patients who accepted to fill a hand paper questionnaire were included in this cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was distributed between March 19 and April 30, 2020 (first emergency state in Portugal) at the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Coimbra Francisco Gentil.

Results: A total of 100 patients participated in the study, of whom 66% were female. The median age was 61 years old. Patients presented low education levels (65% with 9 or less years of schooling), lived together (83%) and were undergoing palliate treatments (59%). The most significant reported change in health care was inability of having an accompanying person in medical appointments (64%). Association with the level of education, household, type of solid cancer or therapeutic purpose was not verified (Creamer-V-indicator <0.4). The major concerns reported were being infected by SARS-Cov-2 due to an immunosuppressed state (65%) and the security of self/family/friends (53%). Patients with lower education were more worried about developing COVID-19 (p=0.001) and of having limited access to medical care (p=0.047). Patients in a curative therapeutic approach were more concerned about employment situation (p=0.031) and had higher anxiety levels (p=0.047).

Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic is having a great impact in patients with cancer, namely in those who have a lower education level, live alone or those who therapeutic approach is curative. The implementation of measures to manage the psychologic impact of COVID-19 is urgent.

There is a specific dilemma faced when the issue of brain and its functioning arises. This concerns the locality or non-locality of these functions. Many theories and arguments have been put forward in support of one or the other. Yet if a considerable look is given to this dilemma using excerpts gathered from quantum physics, one arrives at the conclusion that brain functions which are classical in outlook are non-localised. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD, that is clinical depression), has left many scientists with a lot of conjectures as regards its location. Non-etheless, we have all fallen short empirically in articulating the locality of this disorder in the brain. Can we say that this can be explained when we consider non-locality, with regards to quantum brain dynamics (QBD)?

In recent years, with the development of brain science, neuroscience and cognitive science, artificial intelligence technology has made a series of achievements. However, it still fails to achieve the human level of universal artificial intelligence, and the cognitive structure and consciousness are still unsolved mysteries. This paper integrates the evolutionary laws of the universe, life and thinking, summarizes a model of generated general intelligence and reveals its philosophical principle and algorithm structure, and then calculates the functions of thinking and consciousness one by one. The results show that the model and its based principles and algorithms conform to the characteristics of biology, physics, neuroscience, cognitive science and philosophy of intelligent species. It is an implementation model of artificial general intelligence that simulates human intelligence. This paper reveals the characteristics of cognition, thinking and consciousness, which also has a good enlightenment to the operation mode of human cognition, thinking and consciousness.