Early death and causes of death of patients with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review / 北京大学学报(医学版)

To study of premature/early death of autistic patients from the perspective of life course can help families, medical institutions and policy makers better deal with the adverse effects of autism. Several studies have shown that autistic patients have a high risk of death, however, the results are still inconsistent. To assess the risk of mortality among the autistic patients, we undertook a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Web of Science and EMBASE databases. This paper reviewed the studies on the negative disease outcomes of autism spectrum disorders, including the risk of death, causes of death and several research hotspots in this field. Strict inclusion/exclusion criteria were used. Information was extracted from selected papers, tabulated and synthesized. In the study, 15 studies were included, with a total of 216 045 individuals. The main outcome was all-cause mortality in association with autism and the secondary outcome was cause-specific mortality. The results showed that all-cause mortality was higher for the autistic patients (RR=2.32, 95%CI: 1.98-2.72, I2=87.1%, P < 0.001). Risk ratio showed a greater inequality for female than male (male: RR=2.00, 95%CI: 1.57-2.55, I2=93.2%, P < 0.001; female: RR=4.66, 95%CI: 3.30-6.58, I2=92.0%, P < 0.001). Compared with the unnatural death, the risk of natural death was higher (RR=3.44, 95%CI: 1.27-9.26, I2=80.2%, P=0.025). As autism had many comorbidities, which would bring more health risks and natural deaths possibilities. There were some structural differences in unnatural death. Accidental injury death and suicide were two kinds of causes. Lacking social skills would weaken the ability to ask for help when encountering injuries. This paper put forward some suggestions for futures. First, to well study the comorbidity can reduce the risk of death from a medical point of view. Second, the scientists and policymakers should pay attention to the social environment and provide a safer environment for the autistic patients. Third, for women and for adolescents without cognitive impairment, due to their high risk of suicide, the society should provide them with more supportive social networks and improve their life satisfaction. Fourth, it is necessary to balance the rehabilitation resources in various regions in China and provide more high-quality lifelong rehabilitation monitoring and care services.

Improving Blood Monocyte Energy Metabolism Enhances Its Ability to Phagocytose Amyloid-β and Prevents Alzheimer's Disease-Type Pathology and Cognitive Deficits / 神经科学通报·英文版

Deficiencies in the clearance of peripheral amyloid β (Aβ) play a crucial role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have shown that the ability of blood monocytes to phagocytose Aβ is decreased in AD. However, the exact mechanism of Aβ clearance dysfunction in AD monocytes remains unclear. In the present study, we found that blood monocytes in AD mice exhibited decreases in energy metabolism, which was accompanied by cellular senescence, a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and dysfunctional phagocytosis of Aβ. Improving energy metabolism rejuvenated monocytes and enhanced their ability to phagocytose Aβ in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, enhancing blood monocyte Aβ phagocytosis by improving energy metabolism alleviated brain Aβ deposition and neuroinflammation and eventually improved cognitive function in AD mice. This study reveals a new mechanism of impaired Aβ phagocytosis in monocytes and provides evidence that restoring their energy metabolism may be a novel therapeutic strategy for AD.

Assessment of myocardial injury in neonates born to pregnant women with pregnancy complicated by severe preeclampsia by myocardial work indices: a prospective study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To evaluate myocardial injury in neonates born to pregnant women with pregnancy complicated by severe preeclampsia by myocardial work indices.@*METHODS@#A prospective cohort study was performed on 25 preterm infants born to the pregnant women with severe preeclampsia from June 2020 to April 2021 (severe preeclampsia group), and 25 preterm infants born to the pregnant women without severe complications in pregnancy were enrolled as the control group. Echocardiography was performed within 24 hours and at 48-72 hours and 14-28 days after birth to measure conventional parameters. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed to construct a noninvasive left ventricular pressure-strain loop based on two-dimensional myocardial strain and left ventricular systolic pressure noninvasively measured, so as to calculate myocardial work indices.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, the severe preeclampsia group had significant reductions in left ventricular global work index and global constructive work within 24 hours after birth (P<0.05), a significant reduction in left ventricular global work efficiency and a significant increase in global waste work at 48-72 hours after birth (P<0.05), and a significant reduction in left ventricular global work efficiency at 14-28 days after birth (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Subclinical myocardial injury persists in the neonatal period in preterm infants born to pregnant women with severe preeclampsia.

Statistical methods for relative risk estimation and applications in case-cohort study / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To systematically introduce the design of case-cohort study and the statistical methods of relative risk estimation and their application in the design. Methods: First, we introduced the basic principles of case-cohort study design. Secondly, Prentice's method, Self-Prentice method and Barlow method were described in the weighted Cox proportional hazard regression models in detail, finally, the data from the Shanghai Women's Health Study were used as an example to analyze the association between obesity and liver cancer incidence in the full cohort and case-cohort sample, and the results of parameters from each method were compared. Results: Significant association was observed between obesity and risk for liver cancer incidence in women in both the full cohort and the case-cohort sample. In the Cox proportional hazard regression model, the partial regression coefficients of the full cohort and the case-cohort sample fluctuated with the adjustment of confounding factors, but the hazard ratio estimates of them were close. There was a difference in the standard error of the partial regression coefficient between the full cohort and the case-cohort sample. The standard error of the partial regression coefficient of the case-cohort sample was larger than that of the full cohort, resulting in a wider 95% confidence interval of the relative risk. In the weighted Cox proportional hazard regression model, the standard error of the partial regression coefficient of Prentice's method was closer to the parameter estimates from full cohort than Self-Prentice method and Barlow method, and the 95% confidence interval of hazard ratio was closer to that of the full cohort. Conclusions: Case-cohort design could yield parameter results closer to the full cohort by collecting and analyzing data from sub-cohort members and patients with the disease, and reduce sample size and improve research efficiency. The results suggested that Prentice's method would be preferred in case-cohort design.

Arthroscopic classification and management for the popliteal hiatus of the lateral meniscus tears / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To bring forward an arthroscopic classification of the popliteal hiatus of the lateral meniscus (PHLM) tears and to assess the effects of arthroscopic all-inside repair with suture hook in management of such injuries.@*METHODS@#This study involved 146 patients who underwent arthroscopic operation because of PHLM tears from April 2014 to October 2017, eliminating the patients who had discoid lateral meniscus. There were 81 males and 65 females, with 54 left knees and 92 right knees. The average ages were (34.7±3.7) years. Among the selected participants, there were 107 patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, 39 patients with medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries, and 48 patients with medial meniscus tears. The average preoperative Lysholm and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores were 57.7±9.2 and 54.1±8.9, respectively. The arthroscopic classification was based on the extent and degree of PHLM tears and using the arthroscopic all-inside repair with suture hook for such injuries. For the patients associated with ACL injuries, the ipsilateral autograft hamstring tendons use as the reconstruction graft for single bundle ACL reconstructions. The suture anchors were used for treatment of MCL Ⅲ injuries, and the arthroscopic all-inside repair for medial meniscus tears.@*RESULTS@#A total of 146 PHLM tears in 146 patients were divided into type Ⅰ (tears not involved in popliteus tendon incisura; n=86, 58.9%), type Ⅱ (tears involved in popliteomeniscal fascicles; n=36, 24.7%), and type Ⅲ (tears involved in popliteus tendon incisura; n=24, 16.4%). For type Ⅰ, there were three subtypes, including type Ⅰa: longitudinal tear (n=53, 61.6%), type Ⅰb: horizontal tear (n=27, 31.4%), and type Ⅰc: radial tear (n=6, 7.0%). For type Ⅱ, there were also three subtypes, including type Ⅱa: anterosuperior popliteomeniscal fascicle tear (n=5, 13.9%), type Ⅱb: posterosuperior popliteomeniscal fascicle tear (n=20, 55.6%), and type Ⅱc: both tears (n=11, 30.6%). For type Ⅲ, there were two subtypes, including type Ⅲa: horizontal tear (n=9, 37.5%), type Ⅲb: radial tear (n=15, 62.5%). In the follow-up for an average of 15.3±2.6 months, all the patients had done well with significantly improved Lysholm (84.6±14.3) and IKDC (83.2±12.8) scores at the end of the last follow-up relative to preoperative scores (P > 0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#We propose that it is possible to classify lateral meniscus tears at the popliteal hiatus region for three types, which can summarize the injury characteristics of this area. The arthroscopic all-inside repair with suture hook for the PHLM tears can avoid stitching to popliteal tendon or narrowing popliteal hiatus and have satisfactory clinical results.

Cryptogenic Cirrhosis, an ambiguity of a diagnosis: A case report of progressive Cirrhosis of undetermined cause

@#Cirrhosis is the result of chronic liver disease due to a variety of causes. It is deemed to be cryptogenic when the leading cause cannot be identified despite extensive laboratory, radiological and pathological investigations. The prevalence of cryptogenic cirrhosis diagnosis has been dramatically reduced in recent years due to the advanced achievement in diagnostic medicine, whereby it is attributed to only about less than 5% of cirrhosis cases. Here, we present a case of a 16-year-old boy with nonsignificant family history, was not taking any regular medication, and presented with progressive intermittent jaundice for a few years due to liver cirrhosis. Although an extensive investigation has been done, the etiology of the cirrhotic liver was still unknown. He had no features to support nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. He was in Child’s Grade B and prophylactically treated with a regular dose of propranolol to prevent portal hypertension complication while waiting for a liver transplant. This case report served the objective of showing that despite the advances in medical diagnostic techniques, cryptogenic cirrhosis is still used as a diagnosis in cases of chronic liver disease of unknown etiology.

Association of Polygenic Risk Score with Age at Onset and Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease in a Chinese Cohort / 神经科学通报·英文版

To evaluate whether the polygenic profile modifies the development of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) and pathological biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), 462 sAD patients and 463 age-matched cognitively normal (CN) controls were genotyped for 35 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are significantly associated with sAD. Then, the alleles found to be associated with sAD were used to build polygenic risk score (PRS) models to represent the genetic risk. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses and the Cox proportional hazards model were used to evaluate the predictive value of PRS for the sAD risk and age at onset. We measured the CSF levels of Aβ42, Aβ42/Aβ40, total tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) in a subgroup (60 sAD and 200 CN participants), and analyzed their relationships with the PRSs. We found that 14 SNPs, including SNPs in the APOE, BIN1, CD33, EPHA1, SORL1, and TOMM40 genes, were associated with sAD risk in our cohort. The PRS models built with these SNPs showed potential for discriminating sAD patients from CN controls, and were able to predict the incidence rate of sAD and age at onset. Furthermore, the PRSs were correlated with the CSF levels of Aβ42, Aβ42/Aβ40, T-tau, and P-tau. Our study suggests that PRS models hold promise for assessing the genetic risk and development of AD. As genetic risk profiles vary among populations, large-scale genome-wide sequencing studies are urgently needed to identify the genetic risk loci of sAD in Chinese populations to build accurate PRS models for clinical practice.

Effect of Evodia on Lipid Metabolism in Hyperlipidemia Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To study the effect of evodia on lipid metabolism and low-density lipoprotein-receptor(LDL-R) mRNA expression in hyperlipidemia mice. Method::Kunming mice (n=80) were randomly divided into normal control group (n=20) and model group (n=60). Serum lipids of the model group were measured after 3 weeks.After successful modeling, the mice can be randomly divided into 5 groups (with 10 in each group): model group (equivalent normal saline), positive control group (simvastatin, 5 mg·kg-1·d-1), drug group (evodia of 5.25, 10.5, 21 mg·kg- 1·d- 1). The mice were given drugs for 3 weeks.Htoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the liver cell structure and the change of aortic arch atherosclerosis in the mice.The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kit was used to test the contents of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total serum adiponectin (ADPN) in serum of the mice.The expression of LDL-R mRNA in liver of each group was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Result::Liver HE staining showed hepatocyte swelling with steatosis in the model group, and alleviated liver steatosis in high-dose, medium-dose evodia and simvastatin groups.HE staining showed damages on the aortict arch wall in the model group, with obvious intima thickening and inflammatory cell infiltration.The intima was thickened obviously in the low-dose group, and the structure of aortic vessel wall was clear in the high-dose group.Compared with the normal group, TC, TG and HDL-C levels in serum of the model group were increased, while HDL-C level was decreased (P<0.01). Serum TC and TG levels of mice in the medium and high-dose groups decreased, whereas LDL-C and HDLl-C levels increased in low, medium and high-dose groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the normal group, the adiponectin level in the model group was decreased, while the serum adiponectin levels in medium and high-dose groups were significantly increased (P<0.01). The LDL-R mRNA expression in the liver of mice in the model group was significantly reduced compared with the normal group (P<0.01). The LDL-R mRNA expression in medium and high-dose evodia groups was significantly increased compared with the model group (P<0.01). Conclusion::Evodia can improve the tendency of hepatic lesions and aortic atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemia mice, which may be related to the regulation of adiponectin level, the reduction of lipid content in mice and the up-regulation of LDL-R mRNA expression in mice liver.

Spicy food consumption is associated with cognition and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer disease / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Recent studies suggest that a healthy diet helps to prevent the development of Alzheimer disease (AD). This study aimed to investigate whether spicy food consumption is associated with cognition and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD in the Chinese population.@*METHODS@#We enrolled 55 AD patients and 55 age- and gender-matched cognitively normal (CN) subjects in a case-control study, as well as a cohort of 131 participants without subjective cognitive decline (non-AD) in a cross-sectional study. Spicy food consumption was assessed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Associations of FFQ scores with cognition and CSF biomarkers of AD were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#In the case-control study, spicy food consumption was lower in AD patients than that in CNs (4.0 [4.0-8.0] vs. 8.0 [4.5-10.0], P < 0.001); FFQ scores were positively associated with Mini-Mental Status Examination scores in the total sample (r = 0.218, P = 0.014). In the cross-sectional study, the association between spicy food consumption and cognition levels was verified in non-AD subjects (r = 0.264, P = 0.0023). Moreover, higher FFQ scores were significantly associated with higher β-Amyloid (1-42) (Aβ42) levels and lower phospho-tau/Aβ42 and total tau/Aβ42 ratios in the CSF of non-AD subjects (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Spicy food consumption is closely related to higher cognition levels and reversed AD biomarkers in the CSF, suggesting that a capsaicin-rich diet might have the potential to modify the cognitive status and cerebral pathologies associated with AD.

Comparison of the immediate hemodynamic changes induced by unilateral and bilateral spinal anesthesia in hypertensive elderly patients

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to compare the frequency of hypotension and immediate hemodynamic changes induced by unilateral and bilateral spinal anesthesia in hypertensive elderly patients. METHODS: Forty hypertensive elderly patients undergoing lower leg surgery were randomly allocated into unilateral (group US) and bilateral spinal anesthesia (group BS). After intrathecal bupivacaine injection, patients in group US were kept in the lateral position for 10 min while patients in group BS were immediately placed in the supine position. Hemodynamic parameters were measured for 20 min by non-invasive cardiac output monitor based on bioreactance. RESULTS: In both groups, mean arterial pressure was significantly decreased after spinal anesthesia compared to the baseline value. However, frequency of hypotension requiring vasoactive drug was significantly lower in group US (5%) than in group BS (35%) (P = 0.044). The dermatom of sensory block on the operated limb was significantly lower in group US [T10 (10–10)] than in group BS [T8 (7.5–10)] (P = 0.013). In comparison within the group, changes of cardiac index were similar as the baseline value in both groups, although total peripheral resistance index was constant in group US but significantly decreased in group BS. CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral spinal anesthesia effectively reduced the frequency of hypotension requiring vasoactive drug and affected hemodynamic performance less than bilateral spinal anesthesia.

Atrophic nodular cutaneous amyloidosis*

Abstract: Primary cutaneous amyloidosis is limited to the skin without involving any other tissue. Nodular amyloidosis is rare, and atrophic nodular cutaneous amyloidosis is even rarer. We describe the fourth case of atrophic nodular cutaneous amyloidosis by searching PubMed databases. A 52-year-old female presented to our hospital with a 2-year history of orange papules and nodules without subjective symptom on her right abdomen. Review of systems was negative. Atrophic nodular amyloidosis may progress to primary systemic disease in up to 7% of cases. Because our patient had no systemic involvement, she was diagnosed with atrophic nodular cutaneous amyloidosis based on characteristic symptoms and histopathologic examination. Routine follow-up for this patient is necessary to detect any potential disease progression.

Analysis of diagnosis and treatment of pneumocystis pneumonia in the non-HIV-infected patients with acute respiratory failure / 天津医药

@#Objective To improve diagnostic and therapeutic levels of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in non-HIVinfected patients. Methods The clinical data (including clinical manifestation，laboratory examination, imaging features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis) of sixteen non-HIV-infected patients with acute respiratory failure caused by PCP who were diagnosed in our intensive care units (ICU) during January 2015 to December 2017, were summarized and discussed. Results Almost all patients were immunocompromised by hormone or immunosuppresant before PCP (15/16). Fever, dry cough, and dyspnea were the first symptoms in all patients. The development of PCP was rapid. All patients showed acute respiratory failure [oxygen index: (85.8±16.8) mmHg]. Invasive ventilator support was required in 11 patients (68.8%), high flow oxygen therapy was used in 5 patients (31.2%). The chest CT characteristics indicated diffuse ground glass opacity. Two patients were found methenamine silver-stained positive in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Sixteen cases were positive for pneumocystis detected by PCR. Sixteen patients were treated with compound sulfonamide (SMZco)，caspofungin and corticosteroid. Eight patients were cured, 7 died and 1 case was given up and then died. The ICU length of stay was 3-29 days, average days (13.0±7.1). Conclusion PCP is a kind of opportunistic infection among patients who are treated with immunosuppressive agents. SMZco combined with caspofungin and corticosteroid is effective in the treatment of severe PCP patients.

Estimation of the effect-site equilibration rate constant using the time-to-peak effect of muscle relaxants measured by train-of-four stimulation during general anesthesia induction / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: The concept of the effect-site concentration of anesthetic agents is important. The effect compartment model can be explained using the concepts of effect-site concentration and effect-site equilibration rate constant (k e0). This study confirms that the time-to-peak effect (tpe ) can be measured easily in clinical practice by applying a priming dose and train-of-four (TOF) during general anesthesia induction, and k e0 can be calculated from the tpe of the four muscle relaxants that are commonly used in general anesthesia. METHODS: Eighty patients who received general anesthesia were divided into the succinylcholine, rocuronium, atracurium, or vecuronium groups. Priming doses of muscle relaxants were administered. The effects of muscle relaxants were quantified by recording the twitch response of the adductor pollicis muscle after stimulating the ulnar nerve. The tpe was measured at the lowest TOF value. k e0 was calculated from the measured tpe . RESULTS: The k e0 values of the succinylcholine, rocuronium, atracurium, and vecuronium groups were 0.076 (0.030)/min, 0.228 (0.122)/min, 0.062 (0.011)/min, and 0.077 (0.019)/min, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to estimate k e0 from the tpe of muscle relaxants using a priming dose and TOF during general anesthesia induction.

Low concentration continuous femoral nerve block improves analgesia and functional outcomes after total knee arthroplasty in spinal anesthesia

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with severe pain postoperatively. Femoral nerve block is commonly used for pain control after TKA. This study investigated whether continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) can improve postoperative analgesia and functional outcome as compared to intravenous patient controlled analgesia (PCA) in patients with TKA. METHODS: We reviewed the electronic medical records of patients who underwent TKA with spinal anesthesia between March 2014 and February 2015. In Group IV, postoperative pain was managed by IV-PCA. Group CFNB received CFNB-PCA via a device. Thirty patients were enrolled per group. Patient outcomes were assessed by analgesia, functional outcomes, and health-related quality of life factors. RESULTS: Additional analgesics and additional nerve block for adequate pain control were significantly more frequent in the IV than CFNB group (P = 0.015 and P = 0.012, respectively). Range of motion up to 105 degrees was prolonged in the IV group than CFNB group (P = 0.013). EuroQol five dimensions score was improved in the CFNB group than IV group postoperative 3 weeks (P = 0.003). The incidence of transfusion due to postoperative bleeding was significantly frequent in the IV group than CFNB group (P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative low concentration continuous femoral nerve block for analgesia after TKA improves analgesia, functional outcomes, and incidence of transfusion without falling risk.

Necrotizing fasciitis likely mistaken for chronic low back pain: A case report

Necrotizing fasciitis is a significant factor of morbidity and mortality due to its sudden onset and rapid spread. It is accompanied by systemic toxicity and often fatal unless promptly recognized and aggressively treated. We reported a patient who presented symptoms confused with disc herniation and delayed initial diagnosis. The patient was treated for chronic low back pain. The origin of the pain was a foreign body-induced intra-abdominal infection that invaded the back muscles and eventually progressed to necrotizing fasciitis.

Text Network Analysis Related to Disclosure of Cancer Diagnosis among Korea and other Countries

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify and compare research topics related to disclosure of cancer diagnosis among Korea and other countries using text network analysis. METHODS: Abstracts from 119 studies for the period of 2000~2015 were analyzed. An integrative literature review and text network analysis were applied to examine the research. The keywords from each article's abstracts were extracted by using a program, KrKwic, and analyzed using network-related measures including degree centrality, and clustering using the NetMiner program. RESULTS: The most important core keywords; ‘patient’, ‘cancer’, ‘diagnosis’, ‘disclosure’, ‘truth’, ‘physician’, ‘family’, ‘telling’, ‘information’, ‘preference’, ‘member’, ‘age’, and ‘tell’ ranked highly. Asian countries as Korea, Japan, and China showed a similar high centrality of degree of connection in family, which appeared as a factor that influences cancer diagnosis disclosure. CONCLUSION: These findings showed knowledge structure of disclosure of cancer diagnosis and its research trends. The 11 topics identified in this comparative study can provide further starting points for research of communication with cancer patients and their family.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on Learning and Memory Ability and Brain Inflammatory Factor in Rats with Vascular Cognitive Impairment / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the effects of electroacupuncture on the learning and memory ability and cerebral cortex inflammatory factor of rats with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI); To discuss the mechanism of electroacupuncture for preventing and treating VCI. Methods VCI rat models were made in microemboli injection through internal carotid artery method. The successful modeled rats were randomly divided into model group, positive medicine group and electroacupuncture group, and normal rats were taken as control group. Three days after rat models were established, the positive medicine group was given donepezil hydrochlorideby gavage, and electroacupuncture group was given electroacupuncture at "Baihui" and "Zusanli" acupoints. After treatment, the learning and memory ability was detected by Morris water maze test. The contents of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in rat brain tissue were detected by ELISA. Results The water maze results showed that with the increase of the number of training, the average escape latency of rats to find platform in positive medicine group and electroacupuncture group all had different degrees of shortening in positioning cruise experiment; in space exploration experiment, positive medicine group and electroacupuncture group to cross the platform area for the first time were significantly reduced compared with the model group; compared with the control group, the contents of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in the model group were increased significantly; compared with the model group, the contents of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-β in postive medicine group and electroacupuncture group were decreased. Conclusion Electroacupuncture at "Baihui"and "Zusanli" acupoints can decrease the contents of TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 in the cortex of VCI rats, and improve the learning and memory ability of rats.

Expressions and correlations of TLR2 ,TLR4 ,TLR7 and TLR9 in eosinophil-enriched blood cells from patients with allergic rhinitis / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To investigate expressions and correlations of TLR2,TLR4,TLR7 and TLR9 in eosinophil-enriched cell populations from patients with allergic rhinitis (AR),and elucidate their roles in AR. Methods Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from healthy controls (HCs)and AR patients,and then incubated with crude extracts of Artemisia pollen,dust mite,and Platanus pollen,respectively.Levels of TLR2 , TLR4,TLR7 and TLR9 in blood eosinophil-enriched cells were detected by flow cytometry.Correlations between TLR2+,TLR4+,TLR7+and TLR9+eosinophils were analyzed by SPSS.Results Levels of TLR2+eosinophils from patients with AR were reduced by 4%,mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)of TLR4+eosinophil was elevated by 20%,and TLR7+eosinophils increased up to 4.8 folds compared with HCs when cultured with medium only (P＜0.05).Artemisia pollen extracts induced approximately 7 .8 % of increase in TLR2+eosinophils from AR patients.In addition,correlations between TLR2+and TLR4+eosinophils,TLR2+and TLR7+eosinophils,and TLR7+and TLR9+eosinophils were -0.670 (P＜0.01),-0.430 (P＜0.05)and 0.446 (P＜0.05),respectively. However,allergens had few effects on TLR2,TLR4,TLR7 and TLR9 expressions in HCs.Conclusion Eosinophil-derived TLR2 ,TLR4 and TLR7 are likely to play a key role in AR.TLR2 ,TLR4 and TLR7 might become the potential targets for AR treatment.

Expressions of SP and NK1R in eosinophil-enriched blood cells from patients with atopic dermatitis / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To investigate the expressions of substance P(SP)and neurokinin receptor(NK1R)in eosinophil-enriched cells from patients with atopic dermatitis(AD)so as to elucidate their possible roles in AD. Methods Blood samples were collected from healthy controls(HCs)and AD patients,and incubated with the extracts of Artemisia pollen,dust mite,and Platanus pollen for 1 h.The expressions of SP and NK1R in eosinophil-enriched cells were detected by flow cytometry.Results Level of NK1R in eosinophil-enriched cells from AD patients increased by 41% compared with that of HCs when cultured with the medium only(P= 0.001).In addition,the expression of SP in AD patients decreased by 1.17 folds(P＜0.001),and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)of SP+eosinophils decreased by 55%(P＜0.001).However,allergens had little effect on the expressions of SP and NK1R in eosinophil-enriched cells from AD patients and HCs.Conclusion Upregulated expression of NK1R in AD indicates that eosinophil-derived NK1R may play an important role in AD.Antagonists or blockers of NK1R might be effective preparations for AD treatment.

Upregulated expression of substance P and its receptor in blood eosinophils of patients with allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To detect the expression of substance P(SP)and NK1 receptor(NK1R)in eosinophils of patients with allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma(AR+ AS)and elucidate their roles in the pathogenesis. Methods Levels of SP and NK1R in eosinophils were detected by flow cytometry after stimulation with crude extracts of Artemisia pollen,dust mite and Platanus pollen,respectively.Results The proportion of SP+cells in patients with AR+AS was 1.5 folds higher than that of healthy controls(HCs)(Z= -2.041,P= 0.041).The ratio of NK1R+cells and the mean fluorescent intensity were increased by 26.4%(Z= -3.207,P=0.001)and 85.9%(Z= -4.774,P＜ 0.001),respectively.In addition,0.1 μg/mL of Artemisia pollen extract induced an increase of SP+eosinophils in AR+AS patients by approximately 68.1%(Z= -2.637,P=0.008).However,no significant difference was detected in the expressions of SP and NK 1R in blood eosinophils of HCs when stimulated with allergens.Conclusion Eosinophil-derived SP and NK1R may play an important role in the development of AR+AS.SP and NK1R may be the potential targets for AR+AS treatment.