Epilepsy is a common neurological disease with complex etiology and various seizure forms. It can affect people of all ages. Although a variety of antiseizure medications are available, one-third of patients still have poor drug treatment. Therefore, better methods for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy are particularly important. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with a diameter of 30 ~ 150 nm that have powerful intercellular information transmission functions and also play an important role in the central nervous system. Exosomes released by nerve cells in the local microenvironment can participate in nerve development and plasticity, regulate neuroinflammation, and reduce neuronal loss. Moreover, some proteins or micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) in exosomes are highly correlated with epilepsy and are changed in epileptogenesis, so they play an important role in the prevention and early diagnosis of epilepsy. In addition, exosomes have better biocompatibility and lower immunogenicity. Its small size can effectively avoid the phagocytosis of mononuclear macrophages. Moreover, the proteins carried on its surface have a strong homing ability to target tissues or cells and can penetrate the blood-brain barrier to the intracranial, so exosomes have the advantage of natural drug delivery. Therefore, this study reviews the application of exosomes in epilepsy to improve the understanding of exosomes in scientific research and clinical workers.
The acid-base balance of the brain is critical to the functioning of the nervous system. The mechanisms that maintain acid-base homeostasis in the brain are complex and regulated by a variety of transporter proteins and enzymes. Slight changes in acid-base balance can affect neuronal excitability and even lead to epilepsy. Epilepsy is a common neurological disease with complex pathogenesis and numerous causes. Drug therapy is still the main method, but the treatment effect is limited. Therefore, it is urgent to clarify the pathological mechanism of epilepsy and explore new treatment directions This study provides an overview of the transporter proteins (acid-sensing ion channel, Na+/H+ exchanger, Na+/HCO3- cotransporters, anion exchangers, carbonic anhydrases) and the regulation of acid-base balance in the lungs. This study also introduces how these transporters participate in the stable maintenance of brain acid-base balance and their influence in epileptogenesis from both basic and clinical aspects in detail, providing new targets for epilepsy treatment and intervention.
ObjectiveTo assess the effects of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic on patients with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome and their parents through an online questionnaire survey.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional study conducted from May to June 2022. The questionnaire focused on seizure attacks, medical visits, and the mental health assessment of parents. ResultsA total of 67 patients with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome were included in this study. During the epidemic, 25.37% of the patients experienced increased spasms, and 73.13% of the patients had limited commercial availability of anti-seizure medications, mainly vigabatrin and clobazam. All patients had difficulty seeking medical services, and about 73.13% of them used telemedicine service. In addition, 31.34% of parents felt anxious, and 73.14% had different degrees of depressive symptoms. ConclusionThe difficulty in seeking medical services, limited commercial availability of anti-seizure medications, and the anxiety and depressive states of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic aggravate the difficulty in management of patients with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome. Improvement of the health care system and medication management strategy, as well as reasonable use of telemedicine service, may help solve this problem.
ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore the expression of Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), Corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1), Protein kinase C (PKC) in epileptogenic zone of Infantile spasm (IS).MethodsCollected 17 cases of tissues of IS patients from operation and 6 cases of normal brain tissues from clinical autopsy during June 2011 to June 2014. Westen blot was used to detected the protein expression of CRH, CRHR1, PKC. PCR was used to exam the mRNA expression of CRH, CRHR1, PKC. Immunohistochemistry and fluorescenceimmuno assay were used to detect the expression of CRH, CRHR1, PKC.ResultsThe mRNA expression of CRH and CRHR1 in IS group are higher than control group, and the protein expression of CRH and CRHR1 in IS group are higher than control group. CRH are slightly expressed in the controls, medium and strong expressed in IS, CRH and NF200 both expressed in IS; CRH is negative in GFAP positive astrocyte; CRH is negative in HLA positive microglial cell. CRHR1 are slightly and medium expressed in the controls, medium and strong expressed in IS, CRHR1 and NF200 both expressed in IS; CRHR1 and GFAP are both positive in astrocyte; CRHR1 and HLA are both positive in microglial cell. PKC are slightly and medium expressed in the controls, medium and strong expressed in IS, PKC and NF200 both expressed in IS; PKC and GFAP are both positive in astrocyte; PKC and HLA are both positive in microglial cell. Spearman analysis showed positive correlation between the expression of CRH, CRHR1, PKC with epileptic spasm in IS patients, as well as positive correlation between PKC with CRHR1.ConclusionsOver expression of CRH, CRHR1, PKC with epileptic spasm in IS patients were positive related with epileptic seizure in IS patients, indicated that CRH signal pathway is related with IS pathogenesis.