ABSTRACT
Objective This study aims to investigate the sex difference in the hippocampus and parahippocampus in patients with bipolar disorder. Methods We acquired T1－weighted structural MRI from 133 bipolar type I patients (60 males) and 144 normal controls (81 males). The General Linear Model was used to examine the relationship between sex and brain volumes of the hippocampus and parahippocampus, with age and intracranial volume as covariates. Results Patients showed significantly smaller volumes of the bilateral hippocampus and parahippocampus (P＜0.01). There were sex－by－diagnosis interactions in the left parahippocampus gyrus (F=6.534, P=0.044). Male patients had significant smaller volumes of the left parahippocampus gyrus compared to the male normal controls (P＜0.001) whereas the volumes were not significantly different between female patients and female normal controls (P＞0.05). Conclusion The results suggest sex difference in the left parahippocampus gyrus volume in patients with bipolar type I disorder, which deserves further investigation in the future bipolar imaging researches.
ABSTRACT
Objective To examine the heritability of neurocognitive functions in bipolar I disorder(BD-I)families and BD-associated cognitive endophenotypes. Methods Seventy-nine nuclear families consisting of euthymic BD-I probands and their healthy parents were recruited. Cognitive functions including attention, working memory, processing speed and executive function were evaluated by 7 classic neurocognitive tests, and the heritability of neuroconitive functions in these families was estimated using parent-offspring regression indexes of quantitative traits.Furthermore,the heritable cognitions were compared between 79 BD probands and 140 normal controls. Results After adjusted by age and education,mistake numbers of Trail Making Test A(TMT-A),total score and completed mission numbers of Tower of Hanoi (TOH) were significantly heritable (P<0.05). The comparison of these heritable cognitions between patients and normal controls showed that TOH total score and TOH completed mission numbers were significantly impaired in the patient group (P<0.05). Conclusion Processing speed and executive function are probably heritable in BD nuclear families. Executive function impairments may be disease-related which could be candidate endophenotypes for bipolar disorder.
ABSTRACT
Objective To detect nucleos(t)ide-resistance mutations in hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) isolated from hepatocytes of patients with chronic HBV infection and to analyze the correlation between the mutations found in cccDNA and relaxed circular DNA (rcDNA). MethodsForty patients with chronic HBV infection were investigated. Preoperation serum samples and non-tumor liver tissues were collected.Intrahepatic HBV cccDNA and rcDNA were selectively extracted by co-precipitation of sodium dodecyl sulphate-protein and QIAamp DNA Mini Kit, and further purification with plasmid-safe ATP-dependent DNase (PSAD).Thereafter,cccDNA were amplified by selective polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or nested PCR using the primers spanning both the two gaps in HBV genome and covering the common mutations associated with nucleoside analogues resistance (rt169- rt250).Intrahepatic HBV rcDNA and pre-operation serum HBV rcDNA were also extracted and then amplified by PCR.The PCR products were then purified and sequenced.Results Among the 40 patients,intrahepatic HBV cccDNA were detected in 31 patients,and HBV rcDNA were detected in liver samples of 35 patients and pre-operation serum samples of 21 patients. The PCR products amplified from these samples were all successfully sequenced.rtM204Ⅰ mutation was detected in intracellular HBV cccDNA,rcDNA and serum HBV rcDNA in 2 patients.Both rtM204Ⅰ and rtQ215H were detected in intrahepatic HBV cccDNA and rcDNA in 2 patients,while no corresponding mutation was observed in serum HBV rcDNA of these two patients.Three variants including rtM204V,rtM204V and rtV173L-rtL180M-rtM204V were detected in serum HBV rcDNA in 3 patients,while corresponding mutants were not detected in intracellular HBV cccDNA or rcDNA of these patients.Condsions The results suggest that antiviral nucleos(t) ide resistance mutations can be found in HBV cccDNA in chronic hepatitis B patients. The dominant resistant mutation found in intrahepatic HBV cccDNA/rcDNA may be different from that in serum HBV rcDNA.