Narrow Results

Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) contributes to the inflammatory response and edema formation in the brain, exacerbating brain damage. The present study evaluated the effects of Scutellaria baicalensis (SR) water extracts on BBB disruption after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. ICH was induced by stereotaxic intrastriatal injection of bacterial type VII collagenase, and SR was administrated orally three times (50 mg/ml/kg) during the 48 h after ICH onset. SR treatment significantly reduced the degree of (1) hemorrhage volume and edema percentage of the ipsilateral hemisphere, (2) brain water content, (3) MPO-positive neutrophil infiltration in the peri-hematoma, and (4) BBB permeability measured by Evans blue leakage. In addition, expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-12, and tissue inhibitor of MMPs (TIMP)-1 were investigated with immunohistochemistry. SR treatment reduced MMP-9 and MMP-12 expression in the peri-hematoma after ICH. These results indicate that SR attenuates the BBB disruption through anti-inflammatory effects and suppression of MMP expression. These findings provide a pharmacological basis for the use of SR in the treatment of the BBB disruption following stroke and trauma.

Although antiretroviral therapy has helped to improve the lives of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), these patients are often still afflicted with HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders, which can lead to neurocognitive impairment and even dementia, and continue to hamper their quality of life. Methamphetamine abuse in HIV-1 patients poses a potential risk for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, because methamphetamine and HIV-1 proteins such as transactivator of transcription can synergistically damage the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of methamphetamine and HIV-1 Tat protein on the blood–brain barrier function and to determine whether ginsenoside Rb1 (GsRb1) plays a role in protecting the BBB. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups. The experimental groups received methamphetamine and HIV-1 Tat protein or both and the control group received saline or GsRb1 pretreatment. Oxidative stress-related factors, tight junction (TJ) proteins, blood–brain barrier permeability, and morphological changes were recorded in each group. The results showed that the group treated with Methamphetamine$+$Tat showed a significant change at the ultrastructural level and in the levels of oxidative stress-related factors, TJ proteins, and BBB permeability, suggesting that the BBB function was severely damaged by HIV-1 Tat and methamphetamine synergistically. However, malondialdehyde levels and BBB permeability were lower and the oxidative stress-related factors superoxide dismutase and glutathione were higher in the GsRb1-treated group than in the Methamphetamine$+$Tat-treated group, indicating that GsRb1 can protect the BBB against the toxic effects of HIV-1 Tat and methamphetamine. These results show that GsRb1 may offer a potential therapeutic option for patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders or other neurodegenerative diseases.

SINGAPORE – Mitigating Disease Outbreaks with Smart Mapping Technology.

SINGAPORE – Nestlé Expands Research and Innovation Activities in Asia with New Research Centre in Singapore's Biopolis.

UNITED STATES – Cornell Researchers Report Blood-Brain Barrier Breakthrough.

UNITED STATES – Blueberries May Offer Benefits for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

UNITED STATES – New Mouse Model to Aid Testing of Zika Vaccine, Therapeutics.

UNITED STATES – Harvard Scientists Report on Novel Method for Extending the Life of Implantable Devices in situ.

UNITED STATES & INDIA – Government Use of Technology Has Potential to Increase Food Security.

UNITED KINGDOM – OGT Develops New FISH Probes in ‘Outstanding’ Innovate UK Project.

UNITED KINGDOM – FEI Partners with Five Pharmaceutical Companies, the Medical Research Council and the University of Cambridge to Form Cryo-EM Research Consortium.

RUSSIA – Innovative Russian Medicine Mobilises Human Immune System to Fight Cancer.

AUSTRALIA – Positive Clinical Data from CAVATAK™ and YERVOY^® Combination Presented at the 2016 AACR Annual Meeting.

JAPAN – Bayer Receives Approval for Xofigo^® in Japan.

Asia-Pacific — New bid to stamp out bowel cancer.

Asia-Pacific — New way to breach blood-brain barrier when treating brain cancer.

Asia-Pacific — New antibiotic to fight deadly superbug in large intestine.

Asia-Pacific — Revealing the secrets of rogue clones which cause Lupus disease.

Asia-Pacific — Stout camphor tree genome sequence completed.

Rest of the World — Newly established Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Hong Kong.

Rest of the World — New approach to sepsis therapy.

The following topics are under this section:

• ASIA-PACIFIC — Predisposition of age-related muscle loss among elderly with Type 2 Diabetes.
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Unravelling the Mystery of Ankylosing Spondylitis
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Improving Mental Health through Mindfulness Training
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Strengthening international collaboration to combat the next global health threat
• ASIA-PACIFIC — DNA repair in human cells by Class 1 CRISPR gene editing system
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Visualization of Dengue in Vietnam
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Elucidation of Thermal Bleaching of Coral Reefs by Internal Waves
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Understanding the genetic effects of disease manifestation by RNA editing
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Contributory effects of each brain cell type in development of Alzheimer’s Disease
• ASIA-PACIFIC — Mobile Health Programme for better Type 2 Diabetes patient outcomes
• REST OF THE WORLD — Successful delivery of Glioblastoma drug across Blood-Brain Barrier in mice models
• REST OF THE WORLD — Prescription drugs for children with chronic kidney disease may be toxic to kidneys
• REST OF THE WORLD — Recommendation for preventive drug-of-choice for post-menopausal women
• REST OF THE WORLD — Study shows students who are able to manage emotions perform better in school

The blood–brain barrier (BBB), a highly selective barrier between central nervous system (CNS) and the blood stream, restricts and regulates the penetration of compounds from the blood into the brain. Drugs that affect the CNS interact with the BBB prior to their target site, so the prediction research on BBB permeability is a fundamental and significant research direction in neuropharmacology. In this study, we combed through the available data and then with the help of support vector machine (SVM), we established an experiment process for discovering potential CNS compounds and investigating the mechanisms of BBB permeability of them to advance the research in this field four types of prediction models, referring to CNS activity, BBB permeability, passive diffusion and efflux transport, were obtained in the experiment process. The first two models were used to discover compounds which may have CNS activity and also cross the BBB at the same time; the latter two were used to elucidate the mechanism of BBB permeability of those compounds. Three optimization parameter methods, Grid Search, Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), were used to optimize the SVM models. Then, four optimal models were selected with excellent evaluation indexes (the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of each model were all above 85%). Furthermore, discrimination models were utilized to study the BBB properties of the known CNS activity compounds in Chinese herbs and this may guide the CNS drug development. With the relatively systematic and quick approach, the application rationality of traditional Chinese medicines for treating nervous system disease in the clinical practice will be improved.

Here, we discuss an important problem in medicine as development of effective strategies for brain drug delivery. This problem is related to the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which is a “customs” controlling the entrance of different molecules from blood into the brain protecting the normal function of central nervous system (CNS). We show three interfaces of anatomical side of BBB and two functional types of BBB — physical and transporter barriers. Although this protective mechanism is essential for health of CNS, it also creates a hindrance to the entry of drugs into the brain. The BBB was discovered over 100 years ago but till now, there is no effective methods for brain drug delivery. There are more than 70 approaches for overcoming BBB including physical, chemical and biological techniques but all of these tools have limitation to be widely used in clinical practice due to invasiveness, challenge in performing, very costly or limitation of drug concentration.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is usual clinical method of surgical navigation for the resection of brain tumor and anti-cancer therapy. Nowadays, the application of PDT is considered as a potential promising tool for brain drug delivery via opening of BBB. Here, we show the first successful experimental results in this field discussing the adventures and disadvantages of PDT-related BBB disruption as well as alternatives to overcome these limitations and possible mechanisms with new pathways for brain clearance via glymphatic and lymphatic systems.

Malignant gliomas are highly invasive tumors that use the cerebral vessels for invasion due to high vascular fragility of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). On one hand, glioma is characterized by the BBB disruption, on the other hand, drug brain delivery via the BBB is a big challenge in glioma therapy. The limited information about vascular changes associated with glioma growth is a reason of slow progress in prevention of glioma development.

Here, we present in vivo and ex vivo study of the BBB disruption and glioma cells (GCs) migration in rats using fluorescence and confocal microscopy. We uncovered a local breach in the BBB in the main tumor mass but not within the border of normal and malignant cells, where the BBB was impermeable for high weight molecules. The migration of GCs were observed via the cerebral vessels with the intact BBB that was associated with macrophages infiltration.

The mechanisms underlying glioma progression remain unknown but there is an evidence that the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) via activation of vascular beta2-adrenoreceptors (B2-ADRs) can play an important role in tumor metastasis. Our results clearly show an increase in the expression of vascular B2-ADRs and production of the beta-arrestin-1 — co-factor of B2-ADRs signaling pathway in rats with glioma. Pharmacological blockade of B2-ADRs reduces the BBB disruption, macrophages infiltration, GCs migration and increases survival rate.

These data suggest that the blockade of B2-ADRs may be a novel adjuvant therapeutic strategy to reduce glioma progression and prevent metastasis.

In this paper, we investigate the focalization properties of single-element transducers at intermediate frequencies (500 kHz) through primate and human skulls. The study addresses the transcranial targeting involved in ultrasound-induced blood–brain barrier (BBB) opening with clinically relevant targets such as the hippocampus and the basal ganglia, which are typically affected by early Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, respectively. The targeted brain structures were extracted from three-dimensional (3D) brain atlases registered with the skulls and used to virtually position and orient the transducers. The frequency dependence is first investigated and the capability of targeting of different structures is explored. Preliminary in vivo feasibility is investigated in mice at this frequency. A simple, affordable and convenient system is found to be feasible for BBB opening in primates and humans capable of successfully targeting the hippocampus, putamen and substantia nigra and could thus allow for its broader impact and applications.