The brain imaging studies of obstructive sleep apnea: evidence from resting-state EEG and fMRI / 生理学报

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common clinic sleep disorder, and characterized by obstruction of upper airway during sleep, resulting in sleep fragmentation and intermittent hypoxemia. We reviewed the brain imaging studies in OSA patients compared with healthy subjects, including studies of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). The resting-state EEG studies showed increased power of δ and θ in the front and central regions of the cerebral cortex in OSA patients. While resting-state fMRI studies demonstrated altered large-scale networks in default-mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN) and salience network (SN). Evidence from resting-state studies of both fMRI and EEG focused on the abnormal activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is correlated with OSA severity. These findings suggested that the PFC may play a key role in the abnormal function of OSA patients. Finally, based on the perspectives of treatment effect, multimodal data acquisition, and comorbidities, we discussed the future research direction of the neuroimaging study of OSA.

99Tcm-MIBI adenosine myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with slow coronary flow / 中华核医学杂志

Objective To investigate the relationship between myocardial ischemia and slow coronary flow phenomenon with 99Tcm-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) adenosine myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging. Methods Forty-four patients were divided to three groups according to the result of coronary angiography(CAG). There were GAG-positive(P-GAG) (n=12),slow coronary flow (CSF) (n =22),and normal coronary flow (NCF) (n = 10). Results of adenosine myocardial perfusion imaging were compared among these three groups. Semi-quantitative visual scoring method was used to evaluate the myocardial perfusion:0 = normal,1 = mild decrease,2 = moderate decrease,3 = severe decrease,4 = defect. Statistical analysis was performed using variance analysis,t-test and x2-test. Results No significance was observed at age ( t =0.27,0. 54 and 0. 59),sex (x2 = 0. 92),hypertension,hyperlipemia and diabetes (x2 = 1.23,all P ＞ 0.05 ) among the three groups. A significantly higher frames of the coronary thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow was noted in CSF than in NCF groups (33.7 ±5.5 vs 17.6 ±3.9,t = 9. 58,P ＜0. 001 ). The positive adenosine myocardial perfusion imaging rate were significant among these three groups with 100% (12/12) in P-CAG group,77.3% (17/22) in CSF group,and 20% (2/10) in NCF group. When using semi-quantitative visual scoring method,significantly higher average ischemia segments were noted in CSF group than in NCF group ( 1.06 ± 0.77 and 0. 91 ± 0.80,t = - 2. 02,P ＜ 0. 05 ),but was less than that in P-CAG group (2.41 ±0.79,t =4. 54,P ＜0.001 ). The degree of ischemia of CSF group was higher than that in NCF group ( 8.01 ± 6.06,and 2.73 ± 2.60,t = - 2.07,P ＜ 0.05 ) and was less than that in P-CAG group (14. 07 ±12. 77 ,t=1.44,P＞0. 05). Conclusion Slow coronary flow phenomenon can be detected by adenosine myocardial perfusion image to offer the evidence of diagnosis and treatment for the chest pain patients with negative coronary angiography results.

The 18F-FDG myocardial metabolic imaging in twenty seven pilots with regular aerobic training / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the characteristics of myocardial (18)F-FDG imaging in pilots with regular aerobic exercise training.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty seven healthy male pilots with regular aerobic exercise training were included in this study. The subjects were divided into fasting (n = 17) or non-fasting group (n = 10). Fluorine-18-labeled deoxyglucose and Tc-99m-sestamibi dual-nuclide myocardial imaging were obtained at rest and at target heart rate during bicycle ergometer test. The exercise and rest myocardial perfusion imaging were analyzed for myocardial ischemia presence. The myocardial metabolism imaging was analyzed with the visual semi-quantitative analyses model of seventeen segments.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The secondary-extreme heart rate (195-age) was achieved in all subjects. There was no myocardial ischemia in all perfusion imaging. In the visual qualitative analyses, four myocardial metabolism imaging failed in the fasting group while one failed in the non-fasting group (P > 0.05). In the visual semi-quantitative analyses, myocardial metabolism imaging scores at rest or exercise in all segments were similar between two groups (P > 0.05). In the fasting group, the myocardial metabolism imaging scores during exercise were significantly higher than those at rest in 6 segments (P < 0.05). In the non-fasting group, the scores of 3 exercise myocardial metabolism imaging were significantly higher than those at rest (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Satisfactory high-quality myocardial metabolism imaging could be obtained at fasting and exercise situations in subjects with regular aerobic exercise.</p>

Study on the association between reduced folate carrier gene polymorphism and congenital heart defects and cleft lip with or without cleft palate / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the association between reduced folate carrier gene (RFC1) polymorphism and congenital heart defects (CHD) as well as cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CLP) and to provide epidemiological evidence on genetic markers of CHD and CLP.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>RFC1 (A80G) genotype was detected using RFLP-PCR for blood DNA of the 67 triads with nonsyndromic CHD-affected child, the 82 triads with child-affected cleft lip with or without CLP and the 100 control families without child-affected birth defects. We performed a family-based association test and analyzed the interaction between RFC1 A80G genotype and maternal periconceptional supplementation of folic acid.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Offspring of mothers who did not take folic acid had an elevated risk for CHD when comparing with offspring of mothers who did (OR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.14 - 6.41). There was a statistical association between the risk of CHD and maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation (chi(2) = 6.213, P < 0.05). In the family-based association test, G allele was positively associated with an increased risk for children CHD (Z = 2.140, P < 0.05) while G allele of RFC1 (A80G) polymorphism might increase the risk for CHD. Elevated risks for either CLP group were not observed between RFC1 genotype using or not using folic acid.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our findings suggested that the G allele was likely to be a genetically susceptible allele for CHD. There was possible association between offspring with GG, GA genotype and maternal periconceptional folicacid deficiency.</p>

Study on reduced folate carrier gene (RFC1) polymorphism in the southern and northern Chinese population / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To describe the distribution of reduced folate carrier gene (RFC1)genotype and allele frequency between southern and northern, female and male Chinese population.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>RFC1 (A80G) genotype was detected, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) on 720 blood spot DNA from the normal subjects.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequencies of the northern population with AA, GG and GA genotypes were 22.28%, 31.09% and 46.63%, and the frequencies of the southern population were 18.56%, 22.75% and 58.68%, respectively. Findings showed that there were significant differences between southerners and northerners in RFC1 (A80G) genotype (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference between G allele frequency of the northern (52.10%) and southern population (54.40%). The frequencies of male with RFC1 (A80G) AA, GG and GA genotype were 24.88%, 25.85% and 49.27%, and among female were 18.83%, 27.77% and 53.40%, respectively. There were no significant differences between male and female in RFC1 genotype (P > 0.05), or between G allele frequency in female (50.49%) and that in male (54.47%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The distribution of RFC1 genotype seemed to be consistent with neural tube defects (NTDs) while its prevalence among the northerners was higher than that of southerners, with female having a higher NTDs prevalence. This study provided genetic epidemiological data for etiological hypothesis between RFC1 and diseases relative to folate metabolism.</p>