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Atrial fibrillation(AF)is a prevalent arrhythmia in elderly patients.Such patients often have comorbidities and are subjected to polypharmacy, which may lower medication compliance and increase the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular events.These factors may also affect the efficacy of anticoagulant therapy.According to research, non-vitamin K antagonistic oral anticoagulants like Rivaroxaban, Apixaban, and Dabigatran are a safer and more effective option for anticoagulant therapy in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation compared to warfarin.Studying the impact of polypharmacy on anticoagulant therapy in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation can aid in the development of personalized treatment strategies and improve the prognosis of aged patients.
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Objective:To investigate the relationships of rs4658971 polymorphism of disrupted-in-schizophrinia-1 ( DISC1) gene with schizophrenia in children and adolescents and with the brain structure of such patients. Methods:(1) A total of 577 children and adolescents with schizophrenia were recruited from the Inpatient Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from October 2010 to December 2018, and 516 healthy children were selected as the control group.The rs4658971 polymorphism of DISC1 gene was detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The differences of DISC1 genotype and allele frequencies between schizophrenia patients and healthy children were compared by Chi-square test.(2)One hundred and eighteen patients with the first-episode schizophrenia whose illness duration was no more than 12 months and 101 healthy children and adolescents were detected by 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The craniocerebral structures of patients with different DISC1 genotypes were analyzed by covariance with age as the covariant. Results:(1) The rs4658971 genotype frequencies(TT 6.6% vs.5.2%, TC 37.4% vs.38.4%, CC 56.0% vs.56.4%, χ2=0.91, P=0.63) and allele frequencies(C 74.70% vs.75.58%, T 25.30% vs.24.42%, χ2=0.23, P=0.63) of DISC1 gene in children and adolescents with schizophrenia were not significantly different from those in the healthy children.(2) Compared with the control group, the transverse diameter of the third ventricle was significantly enlarged in children and adolescent with schizophrenia [(4.68±1.41) mm vs.(4.06±1.36) mm, F=8.534, P=0.004], while the distance between the anterior feet of the lateral ventricle, the width of the caudate nucleus head and the thickness of the hippocampus were significantly reduced [(30.69±2.51) mm vs.(32.02±2.41) mm, (8.17±1.01) mm vs.(9.22±1.14) mm, (8.93±0.97) mm vs.(9.93±1.14) mm], and the differences were statistically significant( F=15.435, 40.201, 44.650, all P<0.001). The covariance analysis (with age as the covariant) showed that there was significant difference in the width of the caudate nucleus head between patients with CC genotype and those with CT+ TT genotype[(8.73±0.85) mm vs.(7.39±0.61) mm, F=41.376, P<0.001]. Conclusions:There are multiple brain structural changes in children and adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia.T allele carriers of DISC1 gene rs4658971 locus may be related to the reduced width of the caudate nucleus head in patients.
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Objective To investigate the relationship between brain white matter volume (WMV) and cognitive function (CF) in childhood and adolescence-onset schizophrenia (CAOS).Methods Forty childhood and adolescence-onset first-episode schizophrenia patients (case group) and thirty-nine healthy volunteers (control group) were selected.All subjects underwent a 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) scans for data acquisition.The Chinese version of MATRICS consensus cognitive battery(MCCB) was used to assess the cognitive function.The psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed with the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS).And t test was applied to compare whether there were differences in WMV,CF between the two groups.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze whether the differences were related with cognitive function and mental symptoms.Results Compared with healthy controls,the case group exhibited WMV deficits in the region of left frontal lobe (LFL) (MNI:x =-27,y =12,z =21),right side limbic lobe (RSLL) (MNI:x =18,y =-9,z =39) and left cingulate gyrus (LCG) (MNI:x =-21,y =-18,z=45) (P＜0.05).The WMV of LFL was negatively related with the total score (r=-0.344,P＜0.05) and the WMV of LCG was negatively related with the positive symptoms score (r=-0.326,P＜0.05) and total score (r=-0.348,P＜0.05) of the PANSS.Besides,compared with the controls,the patients showed significant increase in the scores of Trail Making Test (t =3.56,P＜ 0.01),while significant decrease in the scores of the HVLT-R and BVMT-R(t=-5.67,-8.66,P＜0.05).The WMV of RSLL was positively correlated with verbal fluency test in the case group (r=0.40,P＜0.05).Conclusion CAOS patients exist multiple reduced WMV and cognitive impairment,suggesting the importance of the WMV abnormalities in the pathophysiological mechanism of cognitive impairment.
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Objective To investigate the characteristics and relationship of cognitive function and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF)in childhood and adolescence-first-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD).Methods Twenty-four childhood and adolescence-first-onset OCD patients (patient group) and thirty-three age/gender/education-matched healthy controls (healthy control group) were enrolled in this study.The participants' cognitive function was tested with trail making test (TMT),symbol coding,Hopkins verbal learning test-revised (HVLT-R),brief visuospatial memory test-revised (BVMT-R),verbal fluency test (VF),digital span test,maze test and Stroop test.Then a resting-state fMRI scan was conducted for each participant.Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation approach was used to explore the differences of resting-state brain function between patients and controls,and analyze the significant brain regions by adopting t test.The cognitive functions of patients and healthy control group in the significant brain regions were compared by using Pearson correlation analysis.Results The patient group had lower scores than healthy control group in symbol coding,BVMT-R and digital span test,and the differences were statistically significant [(45.24 ± 10.32)scores vs.(56.85 ± 9.57) scores,(21.94 ± 6.99) scores vs.(30.58 ± 3.92) scores,(64.06 ± 20.00) scores vs.(78.03 ±18.08) scores;t =3.96,4.90,2.50;all P ＜ 0.05].Corrected by Alphasim,patient group showed significantly increased ALFF in the left and fight temporal lobe,left and fight posterior lobe of cerebellum,right middle temporal gyrus,but ALFF decreased in the area of left and right lenticula,left putamen compared with the healthy control group (all P ＜ 0.05).The patients group showed that TMT scores were positively correlated with the value of ALFF in the right temporal lobe (r =0.67),and color scores were positively correlated with the value of ALFF in the right middle temporal gyrus (r =0.53),but colour scores were negatively correlated with the value of ALFF in the right tcmporal lobe (r =-0.54);the healthy control group showed that BVMT-R and digital span test scores were positively correlated with the value of ALFF in the left temporal lobe (r =0.47,0.41),but digital span test scores were negatively correlated with the value of ALFF in the right temporal lobe (r =-0.49),and colour scores were negatively correlated with the value of ALFF in the left temporal lobe (r =-0.35),while word and color-word scores were negatively correlated with the value of ALFF in the right middle temporal gyrus (r =-0.39,-0.36);the correlation coefficient above had statistical significance (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The childhood and adolescence-first-onset OCD patients had cognitive impairment,including speed of processing,visual learning and memory,working memory;and the patients showed abnormal spontaneous neural activity at some brain regions.The cognitive dysfunction may be associated with abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity in childhood and adolescence-first-onset OCD.
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Objective: To study the clinical features of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in order to facilitate cognition of the disease. Methods: Clinical data of 42 patients clinically and/or histologically diagnosed with PBC were reviewed. Anti mitochondrial antibody (AMA) negative/positive patients as well as the patients who were/were not associated with Sj?gren Syndrome (SS) were compared in terms of clinical, biochemical and immunological features. Results: Among the 42 patients, 78.6%(33/42) of the cases were females; the mean age at diagnosis was (61.1?10.8) years. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue. Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), ?-glutamyltranspeptidase (?-GT) and total bile acid (TBA) levels were markedly elevated in the majority of the patients, whereas ALT and AST levels were mildly to moderately elevated. Thirty-one patients had a total bilirubin (TBil) level above normal. The levels of TBil and prothrombin time had positive correlationship with years of the course (P=0.000, r=0.696; P=0.005, r=0.424), whereas serum albumin level had negative correlationship with years of the course (P=0.002, r=-0.462). Thirty-seven patients had elevated serum IgM and 34 patients were AMA/AMA-M2 positive. AMA negative and AMA positive patients were similar in terms of clinical manifestations and liver biochemistries findings. Serum IgM and IgA levels were significantly lower, whereas total cholesterol level was higher in AMA negative patients when compared with AMA positive cases. Fifteen cases were associated with SS, which were similar in terms of clinical, biochemical and immunological features when compared with the PBC patients were not associated with SS. Conclusion: PBC is mostly found in middle aged and old women. Elevated serum ALP, TBA and ?-GT levels together with positive AMA/AMA-M2 can help to diagnose PBC. AMA negative PBC patients are characterized by relatively lower serum IgM and IgA levels and higher total cholesterol level. PBC patients who are associated with SS have not substantial differences in the clinical, biochemical and immunological spectra of the disease.