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Objective:To evaluate the application of intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) in vitreoretinal surgery.Methods:An observational case series study was conducted.A total of 316 patients (316 eyes) who received vitreoretinal surgery and iOCT from January 2015 to December 2017 in Hangzhou Branch of Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University were enrolled.The iOCT scanning time and result, the consistency between iOCT result and observation under the operating microscope as well as the influence of iOCT on surgical strategy were recorded.The postoperative adverse reactions and complications were observed.The study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University(No.2019-168-K-160). Written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to any medical examination.Results:There were 85.8% (271/316) of patients who successfully completed iOCT scanning, with an average scanning time of (3.54±2.30)minutes.Among the 271 successful eyes, there were 51 with idiopathic macular hole (IMH), 95 with epiretinal membrane, 50 with dense vitreous hemorrhage (VH), 30 with macular lamellar hole, 12 with vitreous macular traction syndrome, 33 with myopic maculopathy.There were 45 eyes, accounting for 16.6%, the iOCT results of which were inconsistent with the observation of operator under the operating microscope.There were 27 eyes, accounting for 10.0%, the surgical strategy of which was changed.The iOCT results of IMH showed that intra-retinal bridge connection appeared in 2 eyes after ILM peeling, then air tamponade was used.High-reflection strips on the edge of the MH after ILM peeling, called the Hole-door phenomenon, were found in 15 eyes, accounting for 32.6%.In MH with a diameter >400 μm, the postoperative best corrected visual acuity and continuity of outer limiting membrane were better in eyes with Hole-door phenomenon than eyes without Hole-door phenomenon.There were 8 eyes, accounting for 8.4%, showing residual membrane, 3 eyes of which received extra ERM peeling.There were 56 eyes, accounting for 58.9%, showing the secondary changes after membrane peeling.For 50 eyes with dense VH, there were 17 eyes showing the normal macular structure, accounting for 34%, and 33 eyes showing the abnormal macular structure, accounting for 66.0%.In addition, the macular structures of 14 eyes, accounting for 28.0%, observed in iOCT image were inconsistent with the intraocular microscope finding, and 11 of them received extra ERM peeling.Conclusions:The application of iOCT in vitreoretinal surgery can guide the selection of reasonable surgical methods during operation, predict postoperative recovery as well as improve postoperative outcomes.
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ObjectiveTo explore the structural characteristics and functional differences of intestinal flora in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） of dampness heat trapping spleen（DHTS） syndrome and Qi-Yin deficiency（QYD） syndrome. MethodFrom June 2018 to January 2020，62 T2DM patients with DHTS syndrome and 60 with QYD syndrome were selected from Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. Serum and fecal samples were collected to compare body mass index（BMI），glucose and lipid metabolism，fasting insulin （FINS） and fasting C-peptide （FCP） levels，and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance（HOMA-IR） of the two syndrome types. Fecal samples were extracted for DNA database construction，and 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze and compare the intestinal flora and metabolic pathways. Result① The BMI，fasting plasma glucose（FPG），2-hour postprandial blood glucose （2 h PBG），total cholesterol（TC），triglyceride（TG），low density lipoprotein（LDL），FINS，FCP，and HOMA-IR were higher in patients with DHTS syndrome than in patients with QYD syndrome，and the high density lipoprotein（HDL） of the former was lower than that of the latter，（P<0.05，P<0.01）. ② In terms of species composition and differences，Bacteroidetes， Clostridia and Gammaproteobacteria were dominant at the class level，and the relative abundance of Clostridia，Mollicutes and Verrucomicrobiae in QYD syndrome group was higher than that in DHTS syndrome group. At the order level，Bacteroidales，Clostridiales and Enterobacteriales were mainly found. The relative abundance of Clostridiales，Erysipelotrichales and Verrucomicrobiales in QYD syndrome group was obviously higher than that in DHTS syndrome group，while Aeromonadales in the former was lower than that in the latter （P<0.05）. At the family level，Bacteroidaceae，Prevotellaceae and Ruminococcaceae were predominant. The relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae，Porphyromonadaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae in QYD syndrome group was higher than that in DHTS syndrome group（P<0.05）. At the genus level，Bacteroides，Prevotella and Parabacteroides were mainly found. The relative abundance of Parabacteroides，Butyrivibrio and Ruminiclostridium in QYD syndrome group was higher than that in DHTS syndrome group，while that of Klebsiella and Megasphaera in DHTS syndrome group was higher than that in QYD syndrome group（P<0.05）. ③ Through Venn analysis of operational taxonomic units（OTU），it was found that there were 49 OTUs in patients with DHTS syndrome patients and 47 OTUs in QYD syndrome patients. ④ The results of OTU β diversity and α analysis showed that Shannon and Simpson indexes had statistical differences，while Ace and Chao indexes had no statistical differences. The intestinal microbial diversity of patients with QYD syndrome was higher than that of patients with DHTS syndrome（P<0.05）. The analysis of similarities （ANOSIM） showed that the difference of β diversity between the two groups was significant（P<0.05）. ⑤ Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size（LEfSe） results demonstrated that Klebsiella，Megasphaera and Aeromonadales could be selected as the key biomarkers for DHTS syndrome； 14 bacteria such as Ruminiclostridium，Burkholderiaceae，Lautropia，Butyrivibrio，Erysipelotrichales can be selected as the key biomarkers for QYD syndrome. ⑥Functional annotation and analysis showed that the DHTS syndrome involved 9 metabolic pathways，including arginine and proline metabolism，lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis，nicotinic acid and nicotinamide metabolism，while the QYD syndrome involved 10 metabolic pathways，including acarbose and valinomycin biosynthesis，glucagon signaling pathway and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. ConclusionThere are obvious differences in intestinal flora and functions in T2DM patients of DHTS syndrome and QYD syndrome，which can be used as reference for traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome differentiation and the target of TCM treatment.
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Leaf blight outbroke in Rehmannia glutinosa plantation in Wenxian county, Henan province in 2019. R. glutinosa plants with diseased leaves were collected from the plantation, and three strains were isolated from the diseased leaf samples. Pathogenicity test, morphological observation, and phylogenetic analysis of ITS, EF1-α, and Tub suggested that they were respectively Fusarium proliferatum, F. oxysporum, and F.acuminatum. Among them, F. acuminatum, as a pathogen of R. glutinosa leaf disease, had never been reported. To clarify the biological characteristics of F. acuminatum, this study tested the influence of light, pH, temperature, medium, carbon source, and nitrogen source on the mycelial growth rate of the pathogen during a 5-day culture period, and explored the lethal temperature. The results showed that the mycelia grew well under the photoperiod of 12 h light/12 h darkness, at 5-40 ℃(optimal temperature: 25 ℃), at pH 4-11(optimal pH: 7.0), on a variety of media(optimal medium: oatmeal agar), and in the presence of diverse carbon and nitrogen sources(optimal carbon source: soluble starch; optimal nitrogen source: sodium nitrate). The lethal temperature was verified to be 51 ℃(10 min). The conclusion is expected to lay a scientific basis for diagnosis and control of R. glutinosa leaf diseases caused by F. acuminatum.
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Carbon , Nitrogen , Phylogeny , RehmanniaABSTRACT
The present study analyzed the effects of planting density on the development, quality, and gene transcription characte-ristics of Rehmannia glutinosa using 85-5 and J9 as materials with three planting densities of 5 000, 25 000, and 50 000 plants/Mu(1 Mu≈667 m~2). The agronomic characteristics of leaves and tuberous roots, the content of catalpol and acteoside, and the changes of gene expression were determined. The results showed that the leaf size, the diameter of tuberous root, leaf biomass, tuberous root number, and tuberous root biomass per plant at low density were significantly higher than those of medium and high densities. The content of catalpol and acteoside in leaves was higher at high density. The content of catalpol in tuberous roots was higher at low density, and the change trend was similar to that in leaves, while the content of acteoside in tuberous roots was higher at high density. Transcriptome analysis found that about 1/2 of the expansin genes could change regularly in response to density treatment, which was rela-ted to the development of tuberous roots. The change trend of the gene expression of multiple catalytic enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of catalpol and acteoside was consistent with that of their content, which was presumedly involved in the accumulation and regulation of density-responsive medicinal components. Based on the analysis of the development, medicinal components, and gene expression characteristics of R. glutinosa at different densities, this study is expected to provide an important basis for regulating the quality and yield of medicinal materials of R. glutinosa by managing the planting density.
Subject(s)
Gene Expression Profiling , Plant Leaves/genetics , Plant Roots/genetics , Rehmannia/genetics , Transcription, GeneticABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE：To analyze the effects of mangiferin （MGF）on glucose and lipid metabolism in insulin resistance （IR）HepG2 cells，and to explore the potential mechanism. METHODS ：Using human hepatoma HepG 2 cells as research objects ， 1 mmol/L palmitic acid and 2 mmol/L oleic acid were used to establish the IR-HepG 2 cell model. Using metformin hydrochloride as positive control ，the effects of low-concentration ，medium-concentration and high-concentration MGF （125，250，500 μmol/L）on the corrected glucose consumption ，the contents of triglyceride （TG）and total cholesterol （TC）in IR-HepG 2 cells were detected. The mRNA expression of APN ，AdipoR2，APPL1，AMPK in the upstream of AMPK signaling pathway and IRS- 1，Akt and GLUT4 in the downstream insulin signaling pathway were detected by RT-PCR. The phosphorylation level of AMPK protein was detected by Western blot assay. RESULTS ：Compared with control group ，corrected glucose consumption ，mRNA expression of APN，AdipoR2，APPL1，AMPK，IRS-1 and GLUT 4，as well as the phosphorylation level of AMPK protein were decreased significantly in model group ，while the contents of TG and TC were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with model group ， corrected glucose consumption ， mRNA expression of APN （except for MGF medium-concentration and high-concentration groups ），AdipoR2，APPL1，AMPK（except for MGF medium-concentration and high-concentration groups ）， IRS-1（except for MGF medium-concentration and high-concentration groups ），Akt（except for positive control group ），GLUT4 （except for MGF high-concentration group ）were increased significantly in administration groups ，while the contents of TG and TC were decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS ：Mangiferin may activate APN ，which is the upstream target of pathway ，and then regulate AMPK signaling pathway ，so as to promote glucose uptake of IR-HepG 2 cells，reduce TG and TC contents，and improve IR and abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism.
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Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO) is the type of its kind diagnosed most frequently in pediatric patients. In the past decade, the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections has increased in children. The more complex situation of infections may lead additionally to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), septic pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, empyema, endocarditis, bacteremia and septic shock. Hence, hospital stays are often lengthy and patients often critically ill. Since delayed appropriate therapy can lead to chronic osteomyelitis, as well as impairments in bone growth and development, early accurate diagnosis and prompt initiation of appropriate treatment remain central principles in the evaluation and treatment of AHO. Therefore, care of children with AHO inevitably requires an organized and interdisciplinary approach to reach timely, comprehensive and accurate diagnoses so that effective treatment may be carefully planned and enacted with subsequent monitoring of the child until clinical resolution is achieved. This review is devoted exclusively to the management of AHO in children, providing an update on the current understanding of existing evidence and future directions to improve care for pediatric AHO.
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Objective:To compare the clinical effects on new bone formation and foot-ankle function between proximal tibial bone transport and distal tibial bone transport in the treatment of massive bone defects after tibial osteomyelitis debridement.Methods:From July 2012 to July 2017, 42 patients with chronic tibial osteomyelitis received bone transport surgery at Department of Orthopaedics, Nanfang Hospital.According to the Cierny-Mader classification for chronic osteomyelitis, all of them belonged to diffusive tibial osteomyelitis (type IV).Of them, 32 were treated by proximal tibial bone transport after tibial osteomyelitis debridement.In the proximal group, there were 27 males and 5 females, aged from 17 to 65 years and involving 20 left and 12 right sides. The other 10 cases received distal tibial bone transport. In the distal group, all of them were male, aged from 25 to 63 years and involving 6 left and 4 right sides. The 2 groups were compared in terms of external fixation index (EFI) and American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society(AOFAS) Ankle and Hindfoot Scale.Results:There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the preoperative general data such as gender, age or osteomyelitis site, indicating the 2 groups were comparable ( P>0.05). Both groups obtained complete follow-up. The proximal group was followed up for 590.1 d ± 287.3 d and the distal group for 615.6 d ± 130.6 d, showing no significant difference between groups ( P>0.05). In the proximal group 2 cases developed talipes equinovalgus after bone transport while in the distal group 3 cases did, and surgical intervention was needed for them. Surgical intervention was also carried out for16 cases of non-union at the docking site in the proximal group and for 2 ones in the distal group. The EFI was 76.2 d/cm±50.0 d/cm for the proximal group and 84.3 d/cm ± 59.9 d/cm for the distal group, showing no significant difference between groups ( P>0.05). The AOFAS scores were 81.4±10.1 for the proximal group and 60.0±5.9 for the distal group, showing a significant difference ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of massive bone defects after tibial osteomyelitis debridement, no significant difference has been observed in the effect on bone formation between proximal tibial bone transport and distal tibial bone transport, but the former transport may have a less adverse effect on foot-ankle function.
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Objective@#To investigate the effect of nimodipine combined with cerebrospinal fluid replacement on hemoglobin concentration, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression level and cerebral vasospasm (CVS) in patients with CVS after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH).@*Methods@#One hundred and twenty patients with CVS after aSAH admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from May 2013 to May 2015 were selected. They were randomly divided into control group and observation group (n=60 in each group). The control group received conventional treatment and nimodipine infusion after embolization of the aneurysms, and the observation group underwent cerebrospinal fluid replacement by lumbar puncture on this basis. The clinical efficacy, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels before and after treatment, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.@*Results@#One month after treatment, the improvement rate of vasospasm in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (86.7% vs. 60.0%; χ2=9.590, P=0.002). Three months after the treatment, the good rate of clinical outcome (the modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) was significantly higher than that of the control group (88.3% vs. 58.3%; χ2 =13.807, P<0.001). Before treatment, there were no significant differences in hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels between the two groups; after treatment, the hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels of both groups were significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the hemoglobin concentration (119.9±19.8 g/L vs. 137.6±17.8 g/L; t=3.270, P=0.001) and TLR4 expression level (2.5±1.2 vs. 4.5±1.5; t=8.060, P<0.001) in the observation group decreased more significantly. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 5.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.31-6.71), hyperlipidemia (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.93-4.86), previous history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (OR 6.29, 95% CI 3.23-7.32), smoking (OR 4.80, 95% CI 2.18-6.19), and the TLR4 expression level before treatment (OR 3.28, 95% CI 2.87-6.93) were independently correlated with the lack of improvement in CVS, and cerebrospinal fluid replacement was independently correlated with CVS improvement (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.14-0.89). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions such as blood pressure drop, obstructive hydrocephalus and gastrointestinal hemorrhage between the observation group and the control group, but the incidence of delayed CVS (13.3% vs. 36.7%; χ2=7.510, P=0.006) and secondary cerebral infarction (8.3% vs. 31.7%; χ2=8.800, P=0.003) in the observation group were significantly lower than those of the observation group.@*Conclusion@#Nimodipine infusion combined with cerebrospinal fluid replacement by lumbar puncture affected the hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels, improved the CVS improvement rate, and significantly improved the clinical outcome in patients with CVS after aSAH.
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Objective To observe the long-term clinical effect of pars plana vitrectomy combined with fovea-sparing internal limiting peeling in the treatment of macular foveoschisis in pathologic myopic. Methods A prospective case series study. Fifteen patients (15 eyes) with pathological myopic macular foveoschisis who received treatment in Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from December 2015 to December 2016 were enrolled. There were 4 males (4 eyes) and 11 females (11eyes), with an average age of 55.33±8.34 years. All patients underwent BCVA, diopter, spectral domain OCT and axial length measurement. The mean logMAR BCVA was 0.95±0.64. The mean central fovea thickness (CFT) was 576.00±185.32 μm. All patients underwent vitrectomy combined with fovea-sparing internal limiting peeling. After gas-liquid exchange, 12％ C3F8 was filled and followed up at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. Follow-up time was more than 12 months. The structural changes of BCVA and macular area were observed.Results The foveal internal limiting membranes was successfully preserved in all eyes using the techinique. At the final follow-up, the CFT was 258.60±175.22 μm and the BCVA was 0.46±0.43, which were significantly improved compared with preoperative measurements (t=4.90, 5.20;P<0.001). Macular foveoschisis was resovled in 13 eyes. BCVA increased in 14 eyes. Internal limiting membranes proliferation and contraction occurred in 5 eyes and full-thickness macular hole occurred in 1 eye.Conclusions Pars plana vitrectomy with fovea-sparing internal limiting peeling is effective in the treatment of myopic macular retinoschisis. It can improve BCVA and CFT.
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Objective To investigate the effect of nimodipine combined with cerebrospinal fluid replacement on hemoglobin concentration,Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression level and cerebral vasospasm (CVS) in patients with CVS after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH).Methods One hundred and twenty patients with CVS after aSAH admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery,the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from May 2013 to May 2015 were selected.They were randomly divided into control group and observation group (n =60 in each group).The control group received conventional treatment and nimodipine infusion after embolization of the aneurysms,and the observation group underwent cerebrospinal fluid replacement by lumbar puncture on this basis.The clinical efficacy,Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores,hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels before and after treatment,and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results One month after treatment,the improvement rate of vasospasm in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (86.7％ vs.60.0％;x2 =9.590,P =0.002).Three months after the treatment,the good rate of clirnical outcome (the modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) was significantly higher than that of the control group (88.3％ vs.58.3％;x2 =13.807,P＜0.001).Before treatment,there were no significant differences in hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels between the two groups;after treatment,the hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels of both groups were significantly reduced (P ＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the hemoglobin concentration (119.9 ± 19.8 g/L vs.137.6 ± 17.8 g/L;t =3.270,P =0.001) and TLR4 expression level (2.5 ± 1.2 vs.4.5 ± 1.5;t =8.060,P ＜0.001) in the observation group decreased more significantly.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 5.19,95％ confidence interval [CI] 2.31-6.71),hyperlipidemia (OR 2.70,95％ CI 1.93-4.86),previous history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (OR 6.29,95％ CI 3.23-7.32),smoking (OR 4.80,95％ CI 2.18-6.19),and the TLR4 expression level before treatment (OR 3.28,95％ CI 2.87-6.93) were independently correlated with the lack of improvement in CVS,and cerebrospinal fluid replacement was independently correlated with CVS improvement (OR 0.40,95％ CI 0.14-0.89).There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions such as blood pressure drop,obstructive hydrocephalus and gastrointestinal hemorrhage betw een the observation group and the control group,but the incidence of delayed CVS (13.3％ vs.36.7％;x2 =7.510,P =0.006) and secondary cerebral infarction (8.3％ vs.31.7％;x2 =8.800,P =0.003) in the observation group were significantly lower than those of the observation group.Conclusion Nimodipine infusion combined with cerebrospinal fluid replacement by lumbar puncture affected the hemoglobin concentration and TLR4 expression levels,improved the CVS improvement rate,and significantly improved the clinical outcome in patients with CVS after aSAH.
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Diabetic foot ulcer is a major complication of diabetes which is the most expensive and the most difficult to deal with and leads to a high rate of non-traumatic amputation.Diabetic foot osteomyelitis results from aggravation of diabetic foot ulcer.Unfortunately,the current therapeutic outcomes of diabetic foot osteomyelitis are still unsatisfactory because of its difficult diagnosis and special treatment protocols which are entirely different from those for conventional soft tissue infections.This paper summarizes the latest advances achieved in diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot osteomyelitis.
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Objective To investigate the advantages of virtual endoscopy (VE) reconstruction technique for interventional therapy under the guidance of rotational digital subtraction angiography (DAS).Methods Patients with intracranial aneurysm received interventional therapy under the guidance of DSA were selected.The reconstruction of images with the volume rendering (VR) and the VE techniques were used to measure aneurysmal necks.The diameters and image clarity of the aneurysmal necks measured by the 2 techniques were compared.Results A total of 62 patients were included.Their mean age was 59.8 ± 2.6 years.In twenty-seven patients who were unable to clearly reveal and measure the diameters of aneurysm necks on the VR image,they could clearly reveal and accurately measure after VE reconstruction,and there was a significant difference between the measured values of the VR image and the VE image (2.47± 1.25 mmvs.3.14± 1.16 mm;t=2.042,P=0.046).However,there was no significant difference in the measured values of the aneurysm diameters which was clearly revealed on the both images.Conclusion The use of VE technique for reconstruction analysis of the DSA images can more directly and accurately measure the diameters of the aneurysm necks,so as to better guide the interventional therapy.
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Objective To investigate the characteristics of F-waves in patients with Kennedy's disease.Methods Thirty two patients with Kennedy's disease and 30 male healthy volunteers,who visited the Department of Neurology,Peking Union Medical College Hospital between August 2013 and July 2014,were recruited consecutively for this study.Motor nerve conduction study and F-wave examination were performed on the median,ulnar,tibial and peroneal nerves of all participants.A series of 100 electrical stimuli were employed to obtain F-waves.The F-wave parameters in all tested nerves were compared between patients with Kennedy's disease and normal controls including F-wave minimum latency,F-wave persistence,mean and maximum F-wave amplitude,the frequency of giant F-waves.Results The mean Fwave amplitude (median nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 375.0 (298.3) μV,healthy volunteers 297.0(145.0) μV,Z =-3.378,P ＜0.01;ulnar nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 397.5(295.0) μV,healthy volunteers 293.0 (101.8) μV,Z =-3.968,P ＜ 0.01;tibial nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 374.5 (227.3) μV,healthy volunteers 294.0 (160.5) μV,Z =-3.144,P =0.002;peroneal nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 346.5 (292.8) μV,healthy volunteers 146.5 (69.3) μV,Z =-6.864,P ＜ 0.01),maximum F-wave amplitudes (median nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 1 291.0 (952.0) μV,healthy volunteers 846.5 (523.0) μV,Z =-4.823,P ＜ 0.01;ulnar nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 1 663.5 (1 374.0) μV,healthy volunteers 760.5 (341.8) μV,Z =-6.813,P ＜ 0.01;tibial nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease (1 054.1 ± 451.6) μV,healthy volunteers (652.5-± 172.5) μV,t =5.380,P ＜ 0.01;peroneal nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease (840.4 ± 494.1) μV,healthy volunteers (370.2 ± 202.0) μV,t =6.475,P ＜ 0.01),frequency of giant F-waves (median nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 0.0％ (7.2％),healthy volunteers 0.0％ (0.0％),Z =-5.149,P ＜ 0.01;ulnar nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 3.1％ (10.5％),healthy volunteers 0.0％ (0.0％),Z =-7.026,P ＜0.01;tibial nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 0.0％ (3.3％),healthy volunteers 0.0％ (0.0％),Z =-4.651,P ＜0.01;peroneal nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 3.3％ (28.2％),healthy volunteers 0.0％ (0.0％),Z =-5.532,P ＜0.01),and frequencies of patients with giant F-waves (median nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 78.1％ (25/32),healthy volunteers 10.0％ (3/30),x2 =29.016,P ＜ 0.01;ulnar nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 87.5％ (28/32),healthy volunteers 10.0％ (3/30),x2 =37.200,P ＜ 0.01;tibial nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 62.5％ (20/32),healthy volunteers 6.7％ (2/30),x2 =21.085,P ＜ 0.01;peroneal nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 68.8 ％ (22/32),healthy volunteers 10.0％ (3/30),x2 =22.209,P ＜ 0.01) in all nerves examined were significantly higher in patients with Kennedy's disease than in the normal controls.The F-wave persistence in all nerves examined was significantly lower than in the normal controls (median nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 52.5％ (36.3％),healthy volunteers 98.0％ (7.0％),Z =9.010,P ＜ 0.01;ulnar nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 71.0％ (28.3％),healthy volunteers 100.0％ (1.0％),Z =9.455,P ＜ 0.01;tibial nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 100.0％ (2.0％),healthy volunteers 100.0％ (0.0％),Z =4.255,P ＜ 0.01;peroneal nerve:patients with Kennedy's disease 33.1％ ± 23.9％,healthy volunteers 46.9％ ± 27.2％,t =-2.848,P =0.007).Giant F-waves were detected in multiple nerves and often appeared symmetrically on the same nerves between the left and right sides in patients with Kennedy's disease.No significant correlations were found between the pooled frequency of giant F-waves and disease duration in patients with Kennedy's disease(r =0.162,P =0.418).Conclusions The results showed increased F-wave amplitudes,increased number of giant F-waves,especially giant F-waves detected in multiple nerves or appearing symmetrically combined with low persistence,consistent with the pathologic features of chronic and unselected loss of anterior horn cells in patients with Kennedy's disease.
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Objective To investigate the characteristics of giant F-waves in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS ) and the relationship between giant F-waves and disease phenotype . Methods Motor nerve conduction study and F-waves were performed to the median , ulnar, tibial and peroneal nerves of 55 patients with ALS and 52 healthy volunteers.A series of 100 electrical stimuli were employed to obtain F-waves.The following F-wave variables were estimated: frequency of giant F-waves, frequency of patients with giant F-waves, the relationship between giant F-waves and lower motor neuron dysfunction , the relationship between giant F-waves and upper motor neuron dysfunction , the relationship between giant F-waves and disease duration , the relationship between giant F-waves and disease severity , and the relationship between giant F-waves and disease progression rate ( DPR).Results The frequencies of giant F-waves ( ALS: median nerve 0.00 ( 0.00 )%, ulnar nerve 0.00 ( 1.02 )%, tibial nerve 0.00 (0.00)%,peroneal nerve 0.00(0.00)%.Normal controls:median nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-2.360, P=0.018;ulnar nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-3.997,P<0.01;tibial nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-3.006, P=0.003;peroneal nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-3.006,P=0.003) and the frequencies of patients with giant F-waves (ALS:median nerve 13/55,23.6%,ulnar nerve 26/55,47.2%,tibial nerve 18/55,32.7%, peroneal nerve 16/55, 29.1%.Normal controls:median nerve 4/52,7.7%,χ2 =0.024,P=0.024;ulnar nerve 7/52,13.5%, χ2 =14.326,P<0.01; tibial nerve 6/52,11.5%, χ2 =6.897,P=0.009; peroneal nerve 6/52,11.5%,χ2 =5.042,P=0.025) in the median nerve, ulnar nerve, tibial nerve and peroneal nerve were significantly increased compared with those of the normal controls .No significant differences were found in the frequencies of upper motor neuron dysfunction between nerves with giant F -waves and nerves without giant F-waves in the median nerves , ulnar nerves , tibial nerves and peroneal nerves of ALS patients . The compound muscle action potential amplitude of nerves with giant F-waves was significantly higher than those of nerves without giant F-waves in the median nerves (11.20(5.80) mV vs 5.90(8.50) mV,t=2.883,P=0.004)and tibial nerves ((13.20 ±4.61) mV vs (10.69 ±4.76) mV,t=-2.222,P=0.028) of the ALS patients.No significant correlation was detected between the frequency of giant F-waves and disease duration or ALS functional rating scale in the ALS patients , while the frequency of giant F-waves correlated inversely with the DPR(r=-0.287,P=0.034).No significant differences were detected in disease duration between ALS patients with giant F-waves and those without giant F-waves.Compared with those in ALS patients without giant F-waves, the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale score (37.00(3.00) vs 42.00(4.75),Z=3.197,P=0.001) was more, the DPR (0.50(0.35)vs 0.90(0.43),Z=-3.033, P=0.002 ) was slower in ALS patients with giant F-waves. Conclusions The giant F-waves were significantly increased in the ALS patients than those in the healthy volunteers and were distributed asymmetrically between the left and right sides .These electrophysiological characteristics of ALS patients fitted well with progressive loss of anterior horn cells , and indicated differential involvement of different spinal motoneuron pools in the ALS patients .No correlations were found between the frequency of giant F-waves and disease duration .The appearance of giant F-waves may indicate loss of spinal motoneuron early in the disease course , and may suggest that the degree of reinnervation and functional compensation are relatively good after motoneuron loss .
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Objective To investigate the characteristics of giant F-waves in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS ) and the relationship between giant F-waves and disease phenotype . Methods Motor nerve conduction study and F-waves were performed to the median , ulnar, tibial and peroneal nerves of 55 patients with ALS and 52 healthy volunteers.A series of 100 electrical stimuli were employed to obtain F-waves.The following F-wave variables were estimated: frequency of giant F-waves, frequency of patients with giant F-waves, the relationship between giant F-waves and lower motor neuron dysfunction , the relationship between giant F-waves and upper motor neuron dysfunction , the relationship between giant F-waves and disease duration , the relationship between giant F-waves and disease severity , and the relationship between giant F-waves and disease progression rate ( DPR).Results The frequencies of giant F-waves ( ALS: median nerve 0.00 ( 0.00 )%, ulnar nerve 0.00 ( 1.02 )%, tibial nerve 0.00 (0.00)%,peroneal nerve 0.00(0.00)%.Normal controls:median nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-2.360, P=0.018;ulnar nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-3.997,P<0.01;tibial nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-3.006, P=0.003;peroneal nerve 0.00(0.00)%,Z=-3.006,P=0.003) and the frequencies of patients with giant F-waves (ALS:median nerve 13/55,23.6%,ulnar nerve 26/55,47.2%,tibial nerve 18/55,32.7%, peroneal nerve 16/55, 29.1%.Normal controls:median nerve 4/52,7.7%,χ2 =0.024,P=0.024;ulnar nerve 7/52,13.5%, χ2 =14.326,P<0.01; tibial nerve 6/52,11.5%, χ2 =6.897,P=0.009; peroneal nerve 6/52,11.5%,χ2 =5.042,P=0.025) in the median nerve, ulnar nerve, tibial nerve and peroneal nerve were significantly increased compared with those of the normal controls .No significant differences were found in the frequencies of upper motor neuron dysfunction between nerves with giant F -waves and nerves without giant F-waves in the median nerves , ulnar nerves , tibial nerves and peroneal nerves of ALS patients . The compound muscle action potential amplitude of nerves with giant F-waves was significantly higher than those of nerves without giant F-waves in the median nerves (11.20(5.80) mV vs 5.90(8.50) mV,t=2.883,P=0.004)and tibial nerves ((13.20 ±4.61) mV vs (10.69 ±4.76) mV,t=-2.222,P=0.028) of the ALS patients.No significant correlation was detected between the frequency of giant F-waves and disease duration or ALS functional rating scale in the ALS patients , while the frequency of giant F-waves correlated inversely with the DPR(r=-0.287,P=0.034).No significant differences were detected in disease duration between ALS patients with giant F-waves and those without giant F-waves.Compared with those in ALS patients without giant F-waves, the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale score (37.00(3.00) vs 42.00(4.75),Z=3.197,P=0.001) was more, the DPR (0.50(0.35)vs 0.90(0.43),Z=-3.033, P=0.002 ) was slower in ALS patients with giant F-waves. Conclusions The giant F-waves were significantly increased in the ALS patients than those in the healthy volunteers and were distributed asymmetrically between the left and right sides .These electrophysiological characteristics of ALS patients fitted well with progressive loss of anterior horn cells , and indicated differential involvement of different spinal motoneuron pools in the ALS patients .No correlations were found between the frequency of giant F-waves and disease duration .The appearance of giant F-waves may indicate loss of spinal motoneuron early in the disease course , and may suggest that the degree of reinnervation and functional compensation are relatively good after motoneuron loss .
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the regulation of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) and to explore its possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>After treatment with the proteasome inhibitors and/or phorbol esters (PMA), the mRNA and protein expression level of Btk was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The ubiquitination level of Btk in B lymphoblastoid A20 cells was estimated after stimulation via the crosslinking of BCR with anti-IgM antibody. The cotransfection of COS-7 cell with Btk, ubiquitin and Cbl was performed, then the ubiquitination level of Btk was measured. The Btk ubiquitination level was detected after ectopic expression of ubiquitin transfected with the wild type or triple mutant of Ub (K29R, K48R, K63R) . Mono-ubiquitination of Btk was detected with antibodies preferentially against monovalent ubiquitin; in addition, the protein expression levels of chloroquine-treated stably transfected cells expressing Btk-GFP were detected by Western blot, and quantified with the strength of GFP fluorescence.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the presence of proteasome-specific inhibitors and/or PMA, steady-state levels of Btk protein were reduced due to decrease of transcription. Posttranslational modification of Btk by ubiquitination was observed, which was related with the level of Btk expression and activation. The E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl, which binds to Btk, was also found to ubiquitinate this kinase. Altogether, the data of this study strongly suggest that Btk is regulated by poly- and/or mono-ubiquitination events.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The Btk protein is dictated by its expression level through the ubiquitination pathway.</p>
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Objective To explore the relationship between the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and exposure to rural environments and pesticide.Methods Studies relevant to rural residence,farmer occupation,pesticide exposure and ALS were identified from the databases including Embase,Ovid Medline,Pubmed,Cochrane Library,Wanfang data,Chinese BioMedical Literature Database,Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure,China Science and Technology Journal Database up to March 2015.Quality of studies was assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).Analysis of data and publication bias was performed with software Revman 5.3.Results A total of 24 case-control studies and 3 cohort studies were included into the analysis.The NOS scores of all studies were ≥6.The risk of ALS was associated with pesticide exposure (OR =1.41,95％ CI 1.28-1.56) and farmer occupation (OR =1.42,95％ CI 1.29-1.57),but not associated with rural residence (OR =1.21,95％ CI 0.97-1.51).Subgroup analysis of pesticide exposure and ALS revealed that males (OR =1.75,95％ CI 1.39-2.21) had a higher risk than females (OR =1.53,95％ CI 1.13-2.08),and the risk estimate was higher in studies using E1 Escorial standard (OR =1.68,95％ CI 1.45-1.95) than studies not (OR =1.23,95％ CI 1.08-1.40).The meta analysis had a slight publication bias.Conclusions Our findings support pesticide exposure might increase the risk of ALS.Given that farmers always have high levels of pesticide exposure in their work,they should decrease their exposure level or take proper precautions to lower the risk of ALS.
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Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by high blood glucose,high blood lipid,high blood pressure,and abdominal obesity with insulin resistance as the main characteristics.At present,some epidemiological surveys demonstrate the incidence rates of some malignant neoplasms including prostate cancer,hepatocellular carcinoma,colorectal adenoma,and breast cancer among MS patients were obviously increasing.Patients with MS present a high morbidity of certain tumors.This article summarizes the relationship between MS and malignant neoplasms as well as related mechanisms.
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and some mimic disorders, such as distal-type cervical spondylotic amyotrophy (CSA), Hirayama disease (HD), and spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) may present with intrinsic hand muscle atrophy. This study aimed to investigate different patterns of small hand muscle involvement in ALS and some mimic disorders.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We compared the abductor digiti minimi/abductor pollicis brevis (ADM/APB) compound muscle action potential (CMAP) ratios between 200 ALS patients, 95 patients with distal-type CSA, 88 HD patients, 43 SBMA patients, and 150 normal controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The ADM/APB CMAP amplitude ratio was significantly higher in the ALS patients (P < 0.001) than that in the normal controls. The ADM/APB CMAP amplitude ratio was significantly reduced in the patients with distal-type CSA (P < 0.001) and the HD patients (P < 0.001) compared with that in the normal controls. The patients with distal-type CSA had significantly lower APB CMAP amplitude than the HD patients (P = 0.004). The ADM/APB CMAP amplitude ratio was significantly lower in the HD patients (P < 0.001) than that in the patients with distal-type CSA. The ADM/APB CMAP amplitude ratio of the SBMA patients was similar to that of the normal controls (P = 0.862). An absent APB CMAP and an abnormally high ADM/APB CMAP amplitude ratio (≥4.5) were observed exclusively in the ALS patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The different patterns of small hand muscle atrophy between the ALS patients and the patients with mimic disorders presumably reflect distinct pathophysiological mechanisms underlying different disorders, and may aid in distinguishing between ALS and mimic disorders.</p>
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Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Action Potentials , Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis , Pathology , Diagnosis, Differential , Hand , Pathology , Muscle, Skeletal , Muscular Atrophy , Pathology , Retrospective Studies , Spinal Muscular Atrophies of Childhood , Pathology , Spondylosis , PathologyABSTRACT
Tyrosine decarboxylase (TyrDC) is an important enzyme in the secondary metabolism of several plant species, and was hypothesized to play a key role in the biosynthesis of phenylethanoid glycosides. Based on the transcriptome data, we cloned the full-length cDNA (GenBank accession NO. KU640395) of RgTyDC gene from Rehmannia glutinosa, and then performed bioinformatic analysis of the sequence. Further, we detected the expression pattern in different organs and hair roots treated with four elicitors by qRT-PCR. The results showed that the full length of RgTyDC cDNA was 1 530 bp encoding 509 amino acids. The molecular weight of the putative RgTyDC protein was about 56.6 kDa and the theoretical isoelectric point was 6.25. The RgTyDC indicated the highest homology with Sesamum indicum SiTyDC and Erythranthe guttata EgTyDC, both of them were reached 88%. RgTyDC highly expressed in R. glutinosa leaf, especially in senescing leaf, and rarely expressed in tuberous root. After the treatment of SA and MeJA, the relative expression level of RgTyDC mRNA was substantially increased. The results provide a foundation for exploring the molecular function of RgTyDC involved in phenylethanoid glycosides biosynthesis.