Repellent activity of essential oils extracted from five Artemisia species against Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) / Actividad repelente de aceites esenciales extraídos de cinco especies de Artemisia contra Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Artemisia genus (family Asteraceae) has been widely used as medicines and cosmetic. The chemical compositions of essential oils extracted from five Artemisia species (A. anethoides, A. giraldii, A. roxburghiana, A. rubripes and A. sacrorum) were analyzed and the repellent activities of five essential oils were investigated by testing percent repellency (PR) in petri dish against Tribolium castaneum. By GC-MS analysis, the common components of the five essential oils were eucalyptol (11.09%-50.05%), camphor (6.28%-33.10%), terpinen- 4-ol (2.46%-12.41%), ß-caryophyllene (0.63%-10.68%) and germacrene D (2.28%-10.01%). 3,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-heptadien-6-ol (11.72%), 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-3-cyclohexen-1-one (24.80%) and ß-farnesene (12.23%) were the characteristic compounds in essential oils of A. sacrorum, A. anethoides and A. rubripes respectively. The essential oils of five plants showed repellent activity against T. castaneum. The PR of others four essential oils were comparable with DEET expect for A. sacrorum. The results indicated that the essential oils of A. anethoides, A. giraldii, A. roxburghiana and A. rubripes had the potential to be developed as repellent for control of T. castaneum.

El género Artemisia (familia Asteraceae) ha sido ampliamente utilizado como medicamentos y cosméticos. Se analizaron las composiciones químicas de los aceites esenciales extraídos de cinco especies de Artemisia (A. anethoides, A. giraldii, A. roxburghiana, A. rubripes y A. sacrorum) y se investigaron las actividades repelentes de cinco aceites esenciales mediante la prueba de repelencia porcentual (PR) en placa de petri contra Tribolium castaneum. Por análisis GC-MS, los componentes comunes de los cinco aceites esenciales fueron eucaliptol (11,09% -50,05%), alcanfor (6,28% -33,10%), terpinen-4-ol (2,46% -12,41%), ß-cariofileno 0,63% -10,68%) y germacrén D (2,28% -10,01%). 3,3,6-trimetil-1,4-heptadien-6-ol (11,72%), 2-isopropil-5-metil-3-ciclohexen-1-ona (24,80%) y ß-farneseno (12,23%). Los compuestos característicos en los aceites esenciales de A. sacrorum, A. anethoides y A. rubripes respectivamente. Los aceites esenciales de cinco plantas mostraron actividad repelente contra T. castaneum. El PR de otros cuatro aceites esenciales eran comparables con DEET esperado para A. sacrorum. Los resultados indicaron que los aceites esenciales de A. anethoides, A. giraldii, A. roxburghiana y A. rubripes tienen el potencial de ser desarrollados como repelentes para el control de T. castaneum.

A study on memory disorder after marginal division of the striatum stroke / 天津医药

Objective To explore the effects of marginal division of the striatum (MrD) stroke on associative learning and memory. Methods A total of 21 cases with marginal division of the striatum stroke were used as stroke group. The control group consisted of 21 healthy volunteers matched with the stroke group for sex, age and education. The clinical memory scale edited by Psychological research institute, Chinese academy of sciences was used to evaluate data of learning and memory. Results The score was significantly lower in stroke group compared with that of control group (17.71±5.59 vs. 24.80±5.05, P<0.01). The score was significantly lower in patients with lesions on left than that in patients with lesions on right (11.78 ± 1.48 vs. 22.17 ± 2.17, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the score between hemorrhagic stroke group (16.50±6.59) and ischemic stroke group (18.46±5.01,P>0.05). Conclusion Marginal division of the striatum stroke can cause the associative learning and memory disorder, which is more serious in patients with lesions on left than that in patients with lesions on right.

A study on memory disorder after marginal division of the striatum stroke / 天津医药

Objective To explore the effects of marginal division of the striatum (MrD) stroke on associative learning and memory. Methods A total of 21 cases with marginal division of the striatum stroke were used as stroke group. The control group consisted of 21 healthy volunteers matched with the stroke group for sex, age and education. The clinical memory scale edited by Psychological research institute, Chinese academy of sciences was used to evaluate data of learning and memory. Results The score was significantly lower in stroke group compared with that of control group (17.71±5.59 vs. 24.80±5.05, P<0.01). The score was significantly lower in patients with lesions on left than that in patients with lesions on right (11.78 ± 1.48 vs. 22.17 ± 2.17, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the score between hemorrhagic stroke group (16.50±6.59) and ischemic stroke group (18.46±5.01,P>0.05). Conclusion Marginal division of the striatum stroke can cause the associative learning and memory disorder, which is more serious in patients with lesions on left than that in patients with lesions on right.

Compound Heterozygous Mutations in the DUOX2/DUOXA2 Genes Cause Congenital Hypothyroidism

The mutations in the dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) and dual oxidase maturation factor 2 (DUOXA2) genes can cause congenital hypothyroidism (CH). This study reports the pedigree with goitrous congenital hypothyroidism (GCH) due to the coexistence of heterozygous mutations in the DUOX2 and DUOXA2 genes. The two sisters with GCH were diagnosed with CH at neonatal screening and were enrolled in this study. The DUOX2, DUOXA2, and thyroid peroxidase (TPO) genes were considered for genetic defects screening. Family members of the patients and normal controls were also enrolled and evaluated. The two girls harbored compound heterozygous mutations, including a new mutation of c.2654G>T (p.R885L) in the maternal DUOX2 allele and c.738C>G (p.Y246X) in the paternal DUOXA2 allele, that has been previously reported. The germline mutations from the families were consistent with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. No mutations in the TPO gene and the controls were observed.

Coexistence of resistance to thyroid hormone and ectopic thyroid: ten-year follow-up

SUMMARY Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) coexisting with ectopic thyroid is rare. Here we report a case of RTH with ectopic thyroid. A ten-year-old girl had been misdiagnosed as congenital hypothyroidism and treated with levothyroxine since she was born. Ten-year follow-up showed that the elevated thyrotropin was never suppressed by levothyroxine and no signs indicating hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism despite elevated FT3 and FT4 levels. Therefore the girl developed no defects in physical and cognitive development. Pituitary adenoma was excluded by magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasonography did not find the thyroid gland in the normal place, while the thyroid scan found a large lingual thyroid gland. The octreotide inhibition test showed a reduction in thyrotropin by 41.98%. No mutation was detected in the thyroid hormone receptor (THR) β, THRα, thyrotropin receptor (TSHR), and GNAS1 genes. To our knowledge, it is an interesting RTH case coexisting with lingual thyroid.

Irregularly shaped lacunar infarction: risk factors and clinical significance / Infartos lacunares com morfologia irregular: fatores de risco e significado clinico

Objective Our study focused on acute lacunar infarct shapes to explore the risk factors and clinical significance of irregularly shaped lacunar infarctions. Methods Based on the shape of their acute lacunar infarct, patients (n=204) were classified into the “regular” group or “irregular” group. The characteristics of the lacunar infarction were compared between the regular and irregular groups, between patients with and without neurological deterioration, and between patients with different modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores. The risk factors for irregularly shaped lacunar infarctions, neurological deterioration, and high mRS scores were identified. Results Blood pressure variability (BPV) was an independent risk factor for irregularly shaped lacunar infarction. Infarction size, prevalence of advanced leukoaraiosis, and irregularly shaped lacunar infarcts were independent risk factors for higher mRS scores. Conclusions The irregularly shaped lacunar infarcts were correlated with BPV. Irregularly shaped lacunar infarctions and leukoaraiosis may be associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. .

Objetivo Estudar as diferentes formas dos infartos lacunares agudos, investigando os fatores de risco e o significado clinico daqueles com morfologia irregular. Métodos Os 204 pacientes com infartos lacunares agudos foram classificados em dois grupos: aqueles com morfologia regular e aqueles com morfologia irregular. Foram estudadas as características dos dois grupos e caracterizados os fatores de risco para infartos irregulares, deterioração neurológica e altos escores da escala de Rankin modificada. Resultados Variabilidade da pressão arterial é fator de risco independente para infartos lacunares irregulares. Tamanho do infarto, prevalência de leucoaraiose e formato irregular dos infartos lacunares são fatores de risco independentes para escores mais elevados na escala de Rankin modificada. Conclusões Variabilidade da pressão arterial está relacionada ao formato irregular dos infartos lacunares agudos. Este tipo de infarto e a leucoaraiose podem estar relacionado a desfechos clínicos desfavoráveis. .

Influence of obstructive sleep apnea on serum butyrylcholinesterase activity and ischemia-modified albumin levels

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of obstructive sleep apnea and continuous positive airway pressure treatment on serum butyrylcholinesterase activity and ischemia-modified albumin levels. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with obstructive sleep apnea and 30 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled and underwent a diagnostic polysomnogram. The serum butyrylcholinesterase activity, ischemia-modified albumin levels, metabolic parameters, and polysomnography scores were detected and evaluated. Nine patients were studied before and after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure. RESULTS: The serum ischemia-modified albumin levels were significantly higher and the butyrylcholinesterase activity was significantly lower in patients with obstructive sleep apnea than in the controls (p<0.001). The continuous positive airway pressure treatment decreased the modified albumin levels and elevated the buthrylcholinesterase activity (p = 0.019 and p = 0.023, respectively). The modified albumin levels were positively correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (r = 0.462, p = 0.008) at baseline. Elevated ischemia-modified albumin levels can be more accurate than butyrylcholinesterase activity at reflecting the presence of obstructive sleep apnea. Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed a significant difference between the areas under the curve 0.916 for ischemia-modified albumin and 0.777 for butyrylcholinesterase (z = 2.154, p = 0.031). CONCLUSION: The elevated ischemia-modified albumin level was significantly associated with obstructive sleep apnea and was more sensitive than butyrylcholinesterase activity in reflecting obstructive sleep apnea. The continuous positive airway pressure treatment helped to ameliorate the imbalance. .

The 'silence' of silent brain infarctions may be related to chronic ischemic preconditioning and nonstrategic locations rather than to a small infarction size

OBJECTIVE: Silent brain infarctions are the silent cerebrovascular events that are distinguished from symptomatic lacunar infarctions by their 'silence'; the origin of these infarctions is still unclear. This study analyzed the characteristics of silent and symptomatic lacunar infarctions and sought to explore the mechanism of this 'silence'. METHODS: In total, 156 patients with only silent brain infarctions, 90 with only symptomatic lacunar infarctions, 160 with both silent and symptomatic lacunar infarctions, and 115 without any infarctions were recruited. Vascular risk factors, leukoaraiosis, and vascular assessment results were compared. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores were compared between patients with only symptomatic lacunar infarctions and patients with two types of infarctions. The locations of all of the infarctions were evaluated. The evolution of the two types of infarctions was retrospectively studied by comparing the infarcts on the magnetic resonance images of 63 patients obtained at different times. RESULTS: The main risk factors for silent brain infarctions were hypertension, age, and advanced leukoaraiosis; the main factors for symptomatic lacunar infarctions were hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and atherosclerosis of relevant arteries. The neurological deficits of patients with only symptomatic lacunar infarctions were more severe than those of patients with both types of infarctions. More silent brain infarctions were located in the corona radiata and basal ganglia; these locations were different from those of the symptomatic lacunar infarctions. The initial sizes of the symptomatic lacunar infarctions were larger than the silent brain infarctions, whereas the final sizes were almost equal between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic ischemic preconditioning and nonstrategic locations may be the main reasons for the 'silence' of silent brain infarctions.

Oxidative stress and apoptotic changes of rat cerebral cortical neurons exposed to cadmium in vitro / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the cytotoxic mechanism of cadmium (Cd) on cerebral cortical neurons.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The primary cultures of rat cerebral cortical neurons were treated with different concentrations of cadmium acetate (0, 5, 10, and 20 micromol/L), and then the cell viability, apoptosis, ultrastructure, intracellular [Ca2+], and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi), activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A progressive loss in cell viability and an increased number of apoptotic cells were observed. In addition, Cd-induced apoptotic morphological changes in cerebral cortical neurons were also demonstrated by Hoechst 33258 staining. Meanwhile, ultrastructural changes were distortion of mitochondrial cristae and an unusual arrangement. Simultaneously, elevation of intracellular [Ca2+]i and ROS levels, depletion of Delta Psi were revealed in a dose-dependent manner during the exposure. Moreover, CAT and SOD activities in the living cells increased significantly.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Exposure of cortical neurons to different doses of Cd led to cellular death, mediated by an apoptotic mechanism, and the apoptotic death induced by oxidative stress may be a potential reason. And the disorder of intracellular homeostasis caused by oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may be a trigger for apoptosis in cortical neurons.</p>

Multiple cerebellar abscess and pneumonia caused by cryptococcus in an immunocompetent adult patient

Cryptococcus brain abscess was uncommon and cryptococcal cerebellar abscess and pneumonia were rarely in immunocompetent patients. We report a case of an immunocompetent adult with multiple cerebellar abscess and pneumonia caused by Cryptococcus. She gave a history of headache, vomiting, chest pain and bilateral cerebellar signs. Multiple Cerebellar abscess and pneumonia were detected on magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]. Our patient underwent lung biopsy, resection of the lesion and the cryptococcoma was subsequently diagnosed by histopathologic examination. The patient was treated successfully with debridements and prolonged antifungal medicine therapy

Evaluation of bFGF effect on corneal collagen and nerve recovery following LASIK with confocal microscopy / 中华实验眼科杂志

Background Basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)secreted by cornea after injury is important to cytothesis,collagen fibers reconstruction and axons recovery.However,the local bFGF is not enough for the reparation process.Objective This study aimed to observe the findings of corneal collagen and nerve recovery under the confocal microscopy through focusing(CMTF) in the eyes with intervene of exogenous recombinant bFGF(rbFGF) after excimer laser in situ keratomileusis(LASIK).Methods LASIK rabbit models were binocularly created in 34 clean New Zealand white rabbits.The tobramycin combined with dexamethasone were dropped after operation for 10 days in bilateral eyes.rbFGF was topically administered in the right eyes of rabbits from 1 day through 3 months after LASIK,and lubricant was used in the left eyes at the same way.The corneal collagen and nerve recovery,keratocyte and endothelial cell counting were observed with CMTF at the 1st week,2nd week,2nd month,3rd month and 5th month after LASIK.Results Total 19 rabbits were meted the request of LASIK models.The keratocyte densities in anterior stroma of both groups reached the lowest level at the 2nd week and the highest level at the 3rd month.Otherwise,haze changed on the contrary.No statistically significant differences were found in anterior stroma keratocyte densities,haze grade,grey value between rbFGF group and lubricant group at various time points after operation(P＞0.05).The nerve cord densities of both groups were increased gradually,and those under the epithelial basement membrane were more dominant.The nerve density of the anterior stroma of rbFGF group was significant higher than the lubricant one in the 2nd group(P=0.038).The considerably elevated the subepithelial nerve density value was also seen in rbFGF group compared with lubricant at 5 months after operation(Z=-2.060,P=0.039).No any corneal neovascularization occurred in both groups through experiment duration.The positive correlation was found between grey value with haze grade in rbFGF group(b=22.687,F=37.975,P=0.000) and lubricant group(b=20.410,F=18.516,P=0.000).However,haze grade was not significant correlated with stromal keratocyte density(rbFGF group:b=0.001,F=0.164,P=0.668;lubricant group:b=-0.002,F=1.896,P=0.178).Conclusion Exogenous bFGF can improve the recovery of corneal nerve and regeneration of keratocyte after LASIK.No evidence of bFGF promoting corneal neovascularization is found in this experiment.

Characterization of Calreticulin Expression in Mouse Endometrium during Embryo Implantation

Calreticulin (CRT), a Ca2+-binding storage protein and chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum, modulates cell adhesiveness and integrin-dependent Ca2+ signaling. However, the role of CRT during implantation remains poorly understood. In the present study, we characterized the expression of CRT mRNA and the protein in mouse endometria from pregnancy DI to D7. Real-Time PCR and in situ hybridization results showed that the levels of CRT mRNA in the endometria of pregnant mice were significantly higher than those of non-pregnant mice (P<0.05), and increased gradually from pregnancy DI to D4, reaching the máximum level on D4, followed by a plateau from D4 to D7. Using immunofluorescence histochemistry and western blot, changes of CRT expression in the endometria of pregnant mice were consistent with the expression of CRT mRNA. Furthermore, antisense CRT oligodeoxynucleotide was injected into the uterus horns of pregnant mice (D3) to investígate its effect on embryo implantation. The result showed that the number of implanted embryos markedly decreased in the side of uterine horns receiving antisense CRT oligodeoxynucleotide(í><0.05). These findings suggest that CRT may play an important role in embryo implantation in mice.

Study on the effects of electrolyzed oxidizing water in root canal treatment / 实用口腔医学杂志

Objective: To clinically evaluate the efficacy of electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) as a root canal irrigation solution on disinfecting bacteria and removing the smear-layer to keep the non-bacterium state in the root canal. Methods: In the first experiment, 108 single-rooted teeth that needed root canal treatment were randomly divided into two groups. EOW was used as the root canal irrigation solution in the experimental group while 30 ml/L H2O2, saline solution, and 75 g/L EDTA solution were used as controls. Bacteriological examinations were conducted from each tooth before and after treatment with the root canal irrigation solutions. In the second experiment, the 20 fresh human extracted teeth were divided into two groups and treated as same as the first experiment in root canal preparation and irrigation. After irrigation, the apical canal wall was observed using SEM. Results: There was no significant difference in bacterial growth and removing the smear layer between the group using EOW and that using saline solution, 30 ml/L H2O2 and 75 g/L EDTA solution. Conclusion:The results indicate EOW is useful as a clinical root canal irrigation solution.