Finally, we summarize the main results and some prospects for future work. (c)
2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.”
“Background/Aim: Chronic kidney disease is a worldwide public health problem and the prevention of its progression is still a major challenge in nephrology. Specific therapies that inhibit or attenuate this process are neither available nor satisfactory. Traditional Chinese medicine has been increasingly recognized as an effective therapeutic approach in several fields of medicine. The selleck inhibitor aim of this study was to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and moxibustion (MO) in an experimental model of progressive renal disease in rats. Methods: Twenty-one male Wistar rats were submitted to 5/6th nephrectomy NSC23766 research buy (NX) and
assessed 8 weeks later and were divided into three groups: NX=only 5/6 NX, NX-AS=5/6 NX and a 20-min EA-MO session in sham points, and NX-AM=5/6 NX and a 20-min EA-MO session in three real acupuncture points. The treatment consisted of 16 sessions twice a week. Renal function, urine volume, serum creatinine, 24-hour proteinuria, direct and indirect blood pressure, glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis indices were assessed. Results: The NX-AM group showed a significant decrease in all investigated parameters when compared to the control groups. Conclusion: Our results suggest that EA and MO attenuated the progression of renal disease AZD7762 mw in the experimental model of 5/6 NX. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“The neural substrates responsible for semantic dysfunction during the early stages of AD have yet to be clearly identified. After a brief overview of the literature on normal and pathological semantic memory, we describe a new approach, designed to provide fresh insights
into semantic deficits in AD. We mapped the correlations between resting-state brain glucose utilisation measured by FDG-PET and semantic priming scores in a group of 17 AD patients. The priming task, which yields a particularly pure measurement of semantic memory, was composed of related pairs of words sharing an attribute relationship (e.g. tiger-stripe). The priming scores correlated positively with the metabolism of the superior temporal areas on both sides, especially the right side, and this correlation was shown to be specific to the semantic priming effect. This pattern of results is discussed in the light of recent theoretical models of semantic memory, and suggests that a dysfunction of the right superior temporal cortex may contribute to early semantic deficits, characterised by the loss of specific features of concepts in AD. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.