Molecular genetic analysis and predigree of a new FUT1 allele of para-Bombay blood group: a case report / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To study the serological and molecular mechanism of a case of para-Bombay blood group caused by 236delG mutation of FUT1 gene and investigate the pedigree. 【Methods】 The ABO, H and Lewis antigens of the proband and her family members were detected serologically, and the ABO blood group was confirmed by gene testing. The FUT1 gene was amplified by PCR and then sequenced. The structure of FUT1 236delG enzyme of the proband was simulated in 3D by SwissModel online server. 【Results】 Serological results showed that the proband was rare para-Bombay ABhm, Le(a-b-). Her father and mother was type A and type B, respectively. The gene results showed that the proband was type AB, while her father and mother was type A and type B, respectively. The sequencing results showed that the proband had 236delG/551_552delAG gene mutation, while her mother had 236delG FUT1 gene mutation, and her father had 551_552delAG FUT1 gene mutation. The 3D simulation of the enzyme structure of the proband FUT1 236delG showed that the translated product was an alpha helix structure with no actual function. 【Conclusion】 The 236delG mutation is a new discovered mutation in FUT1 genotype, with 551_ 552delAG mutation(FUT1* 01N.06 genotype), which can result in the generation of para-Bombay blood group.

LIX1-like protein promotes liver cancer progression

Limb and CNS expressed 1 like (LIX1L) is over-expressed in several types of tumors. However, the function of LIX1L in glucose metabolism and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remains elusive. Here we report that LIX1L is over-expressed in human HCC tissues, which predicts unfavorable prognosis. LIX1L deficiency

Risk analysis of recurrence of women with DMD birth history in families with new mutations in DMD gene / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To summarize and analyze the risk of pregnancy recurrence of women with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) birth history in families with new DMD gene mutations, clarify the laws of DMD gene mutations and discuss the mode of genetic counseling in such families.Methods:Collected DMD families from January 2013 to December 2017 in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital. Firstly, the 79 exons of DMD gene were analyzed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) in DMD patients and their mothers. The families that DMD patients with DMD gene mutations but no mutations in their mothers were selected for this study, and then MLPA combined with STR-gene linkage analysis were used to perform prenatal diagnosis for females in these DMD gene new mutation families.Results:A total of 64 families with new DMD gene mutations were included in this study. All mutations were DMD gene exon deletion mutations. A total of 65 fetuses were conducted prenatal diagnosis, included 26 SRY negative, 39 SRY positive; 63 fetuses′ DMD gene normal and 2 fetues′ DMD gene with exon deletion mutations. The results of postpartum follow-up and prenatal diagnosis were consistent.Conclusions:Exon mutations in newly mutated DMD families were mainly manifested as exon deletion, mainly presented in the 45-55 exon region. For families with new DMD mutations, even if there is no DMD gene mutation in women which had reproductive history of DMD, prenatal diagnosis for DMD during pregnancy was still recommended.

Comparison of clinical efficacy of two different arthroscopic release methods for the treatment of primary frozen shoulder / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To compare clinical effects of inside-out technique and outside-in technique for the treatment of idiopathic frozen shoulder under arthroscopy.@*METHODS@#From April 2015 to July 2019, 65 patients with primary frozen shoulder were divided into observation group and control group according to different treatment methods. In observation group, there were 32 cases, including 14 males and 18 females, aged 48 to 64 (54.82±5.35) years old, 18 cases on the right side and 14 cases on the left side. The course of disease was 4 to 10 (7.76±1.19) months. The patients were treated with outside in technique. In control group, there were 33 cases, 16 males and 17 females, aged 45 to 62 (54.64±4.16) years old, 18 cases on the right side and 15 cases on the left side. The course of disease was 5 to 9 (7.65±1.24) months. The patients were treated with inside out technique. The operation time, hospitalization days and treatment cost were compared between the two groups. Constant-Murley function score before and after the operation andthe shoulder joint range of motion one month after operation were compared to evaluate the clinical efficacy.@*RESULTS@#All 65 patients were followed up for 9 to 17 months with an average follow up time of (11.34±2.24) months. Compared with control group, operation time in observation group was shorter[(55.53± 10.23) min vs (85.58±13.39) min], and functional scores of Constant-Murley after surgery were significantly changed in both groups compared with that before surgery(@*CONCLUSION@#The two arthroscopic release schemes have achieved satisfactory results for thetreatment of primary frozen shoulder, and the shoulder joint function and pain degree have been effectively improved. Compared with the inside-out technique, the outside in release technique is more direct, the operation is simpler and the operation time is shorter. It has certain advantages in releasing operation for primary frozen shoulder.

Genetic analysis of 90 families affected with spinal muscular atrophy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To carry out genetic testing and prenatal diagnosis for 90 families affected with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and discuss the necessity for carrier screening.@*METHODS@#All families were subjected to multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis. Combined MLPA and allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) was used for prenatal diagnosis of the pregnant women.@*RESULTS@#Among the 90 couples, 84 (93%) had a negative family history, 85 (94%) had given birth to an affected child before. Eighty-five husbands and 88 wives carried heterozygous deletion of exon 7 of the SMN1 gene. Two wives had homozygous deletion of exon 7 of the SMN1 gene and were affected. Prenatal diagnosis showed that 19 fetuses were SMA patients, 48 fetuses were carriers, and 23 fetuses were normal. Of note, eighteen affected fetuses were conceived by couples without a family history, which accounted for 20% of all pregnancies and 95% of all affected fetuses.@*CONCLUSION@#To screen SMA carriers using MLPA and carry out prenatal diagnosis using combined MLPA and AS-PCR can ensure accurate diagnosis, which has a significant value for the prevention of SMA affected births.

Detection methods and devices of visual detection in closed tube recombinase polymerase amplification of hepatitis B virus / 医学研究生学报

ObjectiveThe traditional detection method of recombinase polymerase amplificaton (RPA) is not suitable for rapid field detection due to the complicated operation and other factors. Taking the detection of hepatitis b virus (HBV) nucleic acid as an example, it established a detection method of HBV nucleic acid isothermal amplification based on recombinase polymerase amplificaton (RPA) and designed a matching visual detection device of RPA product.MethodsFirstly, a RPA product detection device was designed, which can be used to collect images by taking photos of mobile phones and visually interpret the detection results. Secondly, RPA primers and probes were designed according to the design of HBV gene conserved sequence. Amplification efficiency of each primer pairs were compared though monitoring the RPA reaction of real-time fluorescence curve to screen the best primers and optimize the optimal reaction conditions. Visual detection sensitivity was investigated by using artificial synthesis of HBV target plasmid, and was investigated the specificity of the method by the detection of synthetic plasmid containing hepatitis c virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus, treponema pallidum, influenza virus, human papilloma virus DNA fragment. Thirdly, the feasibility of RPA product visualization detection device was verified by comparing with the real-time fluorescence amplification curve. Finally, RPA visual detection was performed on 20 serum DNA samples detected by real-time fluorescence PCR to evaluate the applicability of this method to the detection of actual clinical samples.ResultsThe visual detection device of RPA product was used to realize the negative and positive signals that could be detected by mobile phone photography and visual observation. The visual detection method of HBV nucleic acid RPA amplification could realize the visual detection of DNA targets as low as 1-10 copies of HBV within 30 min at 39 ℃ and had good specificity. The test results of 20 serum DNA samples were completely consistent with those of the commercially available qPCR kit, which preliminarily verified the practicability of the method and the device.ConclusionCombined the established HBV-RPA amplification system with the RPA product visualized detection device, it would be expected to develop a low-cost rapid visualization screening technology platform for HBV nucleic acid in blood.

The neural encoding of continuous speech - recent advances in EEG and MEG studies / 生理学报

Speech comprehension is a central cognitive function of the human brain. In cognitive neuroscience, a fundamental question is to understand how neural activity encodes the acoustic properties of a continuous speech stream and resolves multiple levels of linguistic structures at the same time. This paper reviews the recently developed research paradigms that employ electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG) to capture neural tracking of acoustic features or linguistic structures of continuous speech. This review focuses on two questions in speech processing: (1) The encoding of continuously changing acoustic properties of speech; (2) The representation of hierarchical linguistic units, including syllables, words, phrases and sentences. Studies have found that the low-frequency cortical activity tracks the speech envelope. In addition, the cortical activities on different time scales track multiple levels of linguistic units and constitute a representation of hierarchically organized linguistic units. The article reviewed these studies, which provided new insights into the processes of continuous speech in the human brain.

Acupuncture for dysarthria: systematic review / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture for dysarthria, and to explore the rules of acupoints selection for dysarthria.@*METHODS@#The clinical randomized control trial literature regarding acupuncture for dysarthria published before January of 2018 were searched in databases, including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Ebsco, Science Direct and Cochrane Library. The information of included studies was extract and the quality was assessed. The Meta analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. The frequency of acupoints was calculated by using Excel software to analyzed the rules of acupoints selection.@*RESULTS@#Totally 21 papers were included, involving 1651 patients. The pooled effects of clinical efficacy: heterogeneity test =0.74, =0%, =6.36, 95% CI: 4.55, 8.88, =10.84 (<0.01), indicating the efficacy in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group. The pooled effects of the symptom score in Frenchay scale: heterogeneity test =0.56, =0%, =3.20, 95% CI: 1.38, 5.02, =3.45 (<0.01), indicating the efficacy in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group. The acupoints with frequency of more than 5 times were Fengchi (GB 20), Yuye (EX-HN 13), Jinjin (EX-HN 12), Lianquan (CV 23), Baihui (GV 20), tongue-three needles and Yamen (GV15). The meridians with frequency of more than 5 times were the extra channels, governor vessel, gallbladder channel, conception vessel and stomach channel.@*CONCLUSION@#The clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with speech training/regular treatment is significantly superior to that of control group (speech training, medication, regular treatment); acupuncture is safe and effective for dysarthria; the majority of selected acupoint is local acupoints around tongue, throat and neck, as well as extra points and empirical points. However, high-quality randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes are still needed to provide further evidence.

Tuber borchii Shapes the Ectomycorrhizosphere Microbial Communities of Corylus avellana

In this study, eight-month-old ectomycorrhizae of Tuber borchii with Corylus avellana were synthesized to explore the influence of T. borchii colonization on the soil properties and the microbial communities associated with C. avellana during the early symbiotic stage. The results showed that the bacterial richness and diversity in the ectomycorrhizae were significantly higher than those in the control roots, whereas the fungal diversity was not changed in response to T. borchii colonization. Tuber was the dominant taxon (82.97%) in ectomycorrhizae. Some pathogenic fungi, including Ilyonectria and Podospora, and other competitive mycorrhizal fungi, such as Hymenochaete, had significantly lower abundance in the T. borchii inoculation treatment. It was found that the ectomycorrhizae of C. avellana contained some more abundant bacterial genera (e.g., Rhizobium, Pedomicrobium, Ilumatobacter, Streptomyces, and Geobacillus) and fungal genera (e.g., Trechispora and Humicola) than the control roots. The properties of rhizosphere soils were also changed by T. borchii colonization, like available nitrogen, available phosphorus and exchangeable magnesium, which indicated a feedback effect of mycorrhizal synthesis on soil properties. Overall, this work highlighted the interactions between the symbionts and the microbes present in the host, which shed light on our understanding of the ecological functions of T. borchii and facilitate its commercial cultivation.

The Uneven Distribution of Mating Type Genes in Natural and Cultivated Truffle Orchards Contributes to the Fructification of Tuber indicum

The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of distribution of mating type (MAT) genes of Tuber indicum in ectomycorhizosphere soils from natural T. indicum-producing areas and cultivated truffle orchards and ascocarp samples from different regions. Quantitative real-time PCR and multiplex PCR were used to weight the copy numbers of MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 in natural truffle soils and cultivated orchard soils. The effect of limestone on the pattern of truffle MAT genes and the correlation between soil properties and the proportion of MAT genes were also assessed. These results indicated that an uneven and nonrandom distribution of MAT genes was common in truffle-producing areas, cultivated truffle orchards, and ascocarps gleba. The competition between the two mating type genes and the expansion of unbalanced distribution was found to be closely related to truffle fructification. Limestone treatments failed to alter the proportion of the two mating type genes in the soil. The content of available phosphorus in soil was significantly correlated with the value of MAT1-1-1/MAT1-2-1 in cultivated and natural ectomycorhizosphere soils. The application of real-time quantitative PCR can provide reference for monitoring the dynamic changes of mating type genes in soil. This study investigates the distributional pattern of T. indicum MAT genes in the ectomycorhizosphere soil and ascocarp gleba from different regions, which may provide a foundation for the cultivation of T. indicum.

Treatment analysis and pharmaceutical care for one infant with purulent meningi-tis and renal insufficiency / 药学实践杂志

Objective To discuss how the clinical pharmacists participated in the treatment of pediatric purulent meningi-tis and conducted drug monitoring.Methods Clinical pharmacists involved the whole process of treatment for a purulent men-ingitis infant with renal insufficiency,evaluated medication history,conducted therapeutic drug monitoring and designed an in-dividualized medication treatment plan with clinical physicians.Results Clinical pharmacists assisted clinicians with their phar-macy expertise,and developed individualized drug dosing regimen to achieve effective therapy and medication safety.Conclusion Clinical pharmacists play an important role in providing individualized pharmaceutical care for patients,optimizing the treat-ment plan and improving the rational drug use.

External quality survey results of newborn hemoglobinopathy in China / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective To evaluate the results of 2017 external quality assessment for newborn hemoglobinopathyand improve the quality of disease screening .Methods Each of 26 participating laboratories testing newborn hemoglobinopathy across the country received 5 batches of quality control blood spots ( Lot 201711-201715 ) in octorber 2017.Laboratories voluntarily participated in the survey and reported the results, methods, equipments and reagents information .Clinet EQA, and Microsoft Excel 2010 were used to perform statistical analysis on the laboratory test results .The rates of accuracy ( number of correct results/total number of submitted results ) were used for evaluating the performance of laboratories . Results 24 laboratories submitted the testing results with a return rate of 80.8%(21/26).The rates of accuracy for each lot were 100%(21/21), 90.5%(19/21), 90.5%(19/21), 57.1%(12/21) and 100%(21/21 ) respectively.Conclusions The results of this external quality assessment for newborn hemoglobinopathy is generally satisfactory , except for HbBarts′and HbA2.The screening laboratories should improve their quality control system , take timely measures to correct mistakes during the analytic period and improve the accuracy of screening tests for newborn hemoglobinopathy.

Research progress on new techniques for preimplantation genetic diagnosis / 医学研究生学报

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was developed to play a supporting role in assisted reproductive technology. With this kind of detection method, embryos with copy number variations, chromosome translocations or single mutations were excluded and the normal embryos were chosen and implanted. Theoretically, the application of these procedures could improve the implantation and pregnancy rate and help to delivery healthy offspring. PGD was considered to be more precise, higher specific and non-invasive with the appearance of microarray hybridization technology, the next generation sequencing and time-lapse monitoring technology. This paper presented a review of new Methods used in PGD, including fluorescence in situ hybridization, array comparative genomic hybridization, SNP array, next generation sequencing, MicroSeq-PGD, MaReCs, time-lapse monitoring and cfDNA-based method, and their advantages and disadvantages as well as efficacy in the procedures in which they are used.

Molecular analysis of a B(A)04 phenotype individual and his family members / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the serological and genetic characteristics of an individual with B(A) phenotype of the ABO subtype and his family members.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serological assaying was carried out to characterize the erythrocyte phenotype of the discrepant samples. Exons 6 and 7 of the ABO gene were amplified with PCR and subjected to direct sequencing. Exon 7 of the ABO gene was also subjected to single strand sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serological results of two samples from the family were prelimilarily typed as AwB and genotyped as B(A)04/O1 by sequence-specific primer PCR (PCR-SSP). Direct and single strand sequencing confirmed that the three samples all carried a B(A)04 allele and had a nt640A>G mutation in exon 7 of the ABO gene.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The nt640A>G mutation of the B allele has resulted in an amino acid substitution (Met214Val), which probably underlies the B(A)04 subtype. Blood samples with serological typing difficulty may be resolved by pedigree analysis using molecular methods such as PCR-SSP and DNA sequencing.</p>

Effects of dasatinib on the proliferation and invasion and metastasis of breast cancer / 中国现代普通外科进展

Objective:Our study attempts to investigate the effects and the mechanism of dasatinib on the proliferation,invasion and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells.Method:TNBC Hs578T cells were tested for the sensitivity to dasatinib in vitro using PrestoBlueTM reagent and mammosphere assay.Transwell assay and wound-healing assay were used to determine invasion and metastasis ability of Hs578T cells.The p-STAT3 and STAT3 expressions of dasatinib]treated Hs578T cells were measured by Western blot.Results:Dasatinib exhibited growth inhibition of Hs578T cells.Mammosphere assay showed that dasatinb treatment led to less mammosphere formation of TNBC cells.More importantly,migration and invasion ability of Hs578T cells was also decreased by dasatinib treatment.Western blot analysis revealed that the p-STAT3 level was decreased significantly in Hs578T cells after dasatinib treatment,compared with control group.Conclusions:Dasatinib prevents the proliferation,invasion and metastasis ability of TNBC cells via inhibiting STAT3 pathway.

Intervention effects of Jiaotai pills on PCPA-induced insomnia in rats / 中国中药杂志

To elucidate the intervention effects of Jiaotai pills(JTP) on p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced insomnia in rats and its underlying mechanism, the insomnia model was established by single intraperitoneal injection with PCPA in rats. The locomotor activity of rats was observed, and the levels of nerve growth factor(NGF) in hypothalamus, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and serum of rats were determined by using ELISA. Moreover, a proton nuclear magnetic resonance(¹H-NMR)-based metabonomic approach was developed to profile insomnia-related metabolites in rat serum and hippocampus and analyze the intervention effects of JTP on changes in underlying biomarkers related to locomotor activity, NGF and insomnia. According to the results, JTP could significantly suppress the locomotor activity of insomnia rats, and increase the NGF levels in hypothalamus, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and serum of rats with insomnia. The disturbed metabolic state associated with PCPA-induced insomnia in rat serum and hippocampus could be intervened by JTP. Meanwhile, six and five potential biomarkers related to insomnia in rat serum and hippocampus were reversed by administration of JTP. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that JTP had protective effects against PCPA-induced insomnia in rats, which was probably correlated with regulation of NGF level and metabolism of amino acids, lipids and choline.

Kinetin inhibits proliferation of hepatic stellate cells by interrupting cell cycle and induces apoptosis by down-regulating ratio of Bcl-2/Bax / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Liver fibrosis is an important health problem that can further progress into cirrhosis or liver cancer, and result in significant morbidity and mortality. Inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) may be the key point to reverse liver fibrosis. At present, anti-fibrosis drugs are rare. Kinetin is a type of plant-derived cytokinin which has been reported to control differentiation and induce apoptosis of human cells. In this study, the HSCs were incubated with different concentrations of kinetin. The proliferation of rat HSCs was measured by MTT assay, cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the apoptosis was examined by TUNEL method. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins was detected by immunocytochemistry staining. It was found that kinetin could markedly inhibit proliferation of HSCs. In a concentration range of 2 to 8 μg/mL, the inhibitory effects of kinetin on proliferation of HSCs were increased with the increased concentration and the extension of time (P < 0.01). Flow cytometry indicated that kinetin could inhibit the DNA synthesis from G0/G1 to S phase in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01). The apoptosis rates of the HSCs treated with 8, 4 and 2 μg/mL kinetin (25.62% ± 2.21%, 15.31% ± 1.9% and 6.18% ± 1.23%, respectively) were increased significantly compared with the control group (3.81% ± 0.93%) (P < 0.01). All the DNA frequency histogram in kinetin-treated groups showed obvious hypodiploid peak (sub-G1 peak), and with the increase of kinetin concentrations, the apoptosis rate of HSCs also showed a trend of increase. It was also found that kinetin could down-regulate the expression of Bcl-2, and up-regulate the expression of Bax, leading to the decreased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax significantly. The kinetin-induced apoptosis of HSCs was positively correlated with the expression of Bax, and negatively with the expression of Bcl-2. It was concluded that kinetin can inhibit activation and proliferation of HSCs by interrupting the cell cycle at G1/S restriction point and inducing apoptosis of HSCs via reducing the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax.

Metabonomics Study on Urine 1H-NMR in Chronic Superficial Gastritis Patients with Pi-qi Deficiency Syndrome/Pi-Wei Dampness-heat Syndrome / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe metabolomic changes in urine of chronic superficial gastritis (CSG) patients with Pi-qi deficiency syndrome (PQDS) or Pi-Wei dampness-heat syndrome (PWDHS), thereby providing scientific evidence for syndrome typing of them.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Urine samples were collected from CSG patients with PQDS/PWDHS and healthy volunteers, 10 in each group. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) based metabonomic analysis was performed on urine samples. Contents of related biomarkers were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and urivariate statistical analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PLS-DA analysis showed that metabolites among CSG patients with PQDS/PWDHS and healthy volunteers could be mutually distinguished. Seven differentially identified metabolites were screened from urines of CSG patients with PQDS and healthy volunteers included glutamate, methionine, α-oxoglutarate, dimethylglycine, creatinine, taurine, and glucose. Four differentially identified metabolites were screened from urines of CSG patients with PWDHS and healthy volunteers included 2-hydroxybutyric acid, trimethylamine oxide, taurine, and hippuric acid. Eleven differentially identified metabolites were screened from urines of CSG patients with PQDS and PWDHS included fucose, β-hydroxybutyric acid, alanine, glutamate, methionine, succinic acid, citric acid, creatinine, glucose, hippuric acid, and lactic acid.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The metabolic differences of CSG patients PQDS and PWDHS mainly manifested in glycometabolism, lipid metabolism, and amino acids catabolism, and 1H-NMR based metabonomics may be used in classified study of Chinese medical syndrome typing.</p>

Feasibility of Low Tube Voltage Combined with Low Contrast Dose in 64-slice Spiral CT Cerebral and Carotid Arteriography / 中国医学影像学杂志

PurposeTo evaluate the feasibility of a low-dose contrast medium protocol for 64-slice spiral CT angiography (CTA) of cerebral and carotid using a low-tube-voltage setting, and to compare the display effect of cerebral and carotid arteries by low-tube-voltage low-dose contrast medium and routine-tube-voltage routine-dose contrast medium scanning, and to assess the effect on radiation dose.Materials and MethodsEighty consecutive patients were prospectively selected to perform cerebral and carotid CTA inspection. The patients were randomly divided into control group and low dose group with 40 people in each group. The voltage in control group was 120 kV and the contrast agent was 80 ml; those in low dose group were 80 kV and 50 ml, respectively. The artery image quality was evaluated and venous interference was scored. The CT value, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and radiation dose in both groups were statistically analyzed.Results The consistency of uniform in artery image quality score and venous interference score was rather high according to the assessment of two physicians (Kappa=0.782 and 0.867). There was no statistical difference in artery image quality score, venous interference score, SNR and CNR between the two groups (Z=-0.864--0.032,P>0.05). The CT value in low dose group was higher than that in control group (differences with statistical significance,t=-8.789-1.715,P<0.05). The CT dose index of volume, dose-length product and effective dose in low dose group were all signiifcantly lower than those in control group (Z=-8.888,t=78.092 and 78.350, respectively,P<0.05).Conclusion The use of low tube voltage and low contrast dose in cerebral and carotid CTA examination can result in high quality images which meets the diagnostic needs and obviously reduce radiation dosage.

Effect of electro-acupuncture on clinical outcomes and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on clinical outcomes and the occurrence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 109 patients who routinely received in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) at Reproductive Center were assigned to the control group (56 cases) and the EA group (53 cases) according to even and odd-numbered date. Patients in the control group received controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) referring to GnRH-a long protocol. On the basis of COH, those in the EA group received EA from the day of Gn injection to the day of embryo transfer. Estradiol (E2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and angiotensin (AT) II were measured in all patients on the day of hCG injection, the day of ovum pick up (OPU), and the day of embryo transfer (ET), respectively. The oocyte retrieval rate, good quality embryo rate, clinical pregnancy rate, the abortion rate, and the occurrence of OHSS were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, serum E2 levels on the day of OPU and the day of ET were significantly lower in the EA group (P < 0.05). On the day of OPU levels of VEGF and IL-6 also significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Serum levels of VEGF and IL-6 reached the highest line on the day of hCG in the two groups, and then showed a decreasing trend. Compared with the control group at the same time point, serum levels of VEGF and IL-6 obviously decreased on on the day of OPU, hCG, and ET (P < 0.05). The occurrence of OHSS and the canceling rate of transplant cycle were significantly lower in the EA group than in the control group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>EA, as an adjunctive therapy, could reduce the occurrence of OHSS in IVF. Besides, it did not decrease good embryo rates and pregnancy rates in IVF-ET, which might be associated with lowering local vascular permeability of ovaries.</p>