Non-invasive biomagnetic assessment of gastrointestinal motility in a loperamide-induced constipation model

Constipation is a disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) and some of the main etiological mechanisms are directly related to changes in GI physiology. The capacity to carry out paired assessments and measure GI parameters under the influence of constipation is a relevant point in selecting a suitable methodology. We aimed to perform a non-invasive investigation of gastrointestinal motility in constipated rats using the alternating current biosusceptometry system (ACB). The animals were split into two groups: the pre-induction stage (CONTROL) and post-induction loperamide stage (LOP). We assessed GI motility parameters using the ACB system. Colon morphometric and immunohistochemical analyses were performed for biomarkers (C-kit) for interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). Our results showed a significant increase in gastrointestinal transit in the LOP group in addition to a reduction in the dominant frequency of gastric contraction and an arrhythmic profile. A change in colonic contractility profiles was observed, indicating colonic dysmotility in the LOP group. We found a reduction in the number of biomarkers for intestinal cells of Cajal (ICC) in the LOP group. The ACB system can evaluate transit irregularities and their degrees of severity, while also supporting research into novel, safer, and more efficient treatments for constipation.

Treatment outcomes of alternating chemoradiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a single-center safety and efficacy study

Abstract Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Alternating Chemoradiotherapy (ACRT) using cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods This was a retrospective study in which patients' clinical records were reviewed to identify patients with a new diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma at our institution between January 2005 and January 2019. Thirty-seven eligible patients were identified; of these, the clinical details of 27 patients treated with ACRT were evaluated. Patient outcomes, including overall survival and progression-free survival, and adverse events were assessed. Results Of these initial 37 patients, 1, 10, 13, 10, and 3 were staged as I, II, III, IVA, and IVB, respectively, as defined by the 8th edition of the TNM classification system. Twenty-seven patients received ACRT comprising sequential administration of chemotherapy, radiotherapy (wide field), chemotherapy, radiotherapy (shrinking field), and chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 83.7% and 88.9%, respectively. Treatment compliance was 93%, which is comparable to that of previous reports. Conclusion ACRT using cisplating and 5-fluorouracil was well tolerated with acceptable efficacy. Level of Evidence IVa

Research progress on transcranial electrical stimulation for deep brain stimulation / 生物医学工程学杂志

Transcranial electric stimulation (TES) is a non-invasive, economical, and well-tolerated neuromodulation technique. However, traditional TES is a whole-brain stimulation with a small current, which cannot satisfy the need for effectively focused stimulation of deep brain areas in clinical treatment. With the deepening of the clinical application of TES, researchers have constantly investigated new methods for deeper, more intense, and more focused stimulation, especially multi-electrode stimulation represented by high-precision TES and temporal interference stimulation. This paper reviews the stimulation optimization schemes of TES in recent years and further analyzes the characteristics and limitations of existing stimulation methods, aiming to provide a reference for related clinical applications and guide the following research on TES. In addition, this paper proposes the viewpoint of the development direction of TES, especially the direction of optimizing TES for deep brain stimulation, aiming to provide new ideas for subsequent research and application.

Microneedle-based devices for point-of-care infectious disease diagnostics

Recent infectious disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19 and Ebola, have highlighted the need for rapid and accurate diagnosis to initiate treatment and curb transmission. Successful diagnostic strategies critically depend on the efficiency of biological sampling and timely analysis. However, current diagnostic techniques are invasive/intrusive and present a severe bottleneck by requiring specialist equipment and trained personnel. Moreover, centralised test facilities are poorly accessible and the requirement to travel may increase disease transmission. Self-administrable, point-of-care (PoC) microneedle diagnostic devices could provide a viable solution to these problems. These miniature needle arrays can detect biomarkers in/from the skin in a minimally invasive manner to provide (near-) real-time diagnosis. Few microneedle devices have been developed specifically for infectious disease diagnosis, though similar technologies are well established in other fields and generally adaptable for infectious disease diagnosis. These include microneedles for biofluid extraction, microneedle sensors and analyte-capturing microneedles, or combinations thereof. Analyte sampling/detection from both blood and dermal interstitial fluid is possible. These technologies are in their early stages of development for infectious disease diagnostics, and there is a vast scope for further development. In this review, we discuss the utility and future outlook of these microneedle technologies in infectious disease diagnosis.

Clinical and Genetic Spectrum of ATP1A3-Related Disorders in a Korean Pediatric Population

Bloqueo de rama alternante en una taquicardia supraventricular: ¿Cuál es el mecanismo subyacente? / Alternating bundle branch block in a supraventricular tachycardia: Which is the mechanism ?

El bloqueo de rama funcional durante una taquicardia supraventricular puede ser observado con longitudes de ciclo cortas y representa una respuesta fisiológica del sistema de conducción intraventricular por la existencia de conducción nodal auriculo ventricular acelerada. Presentamos el caso de un paciente joven con taquicardia reentrante aurículo-ventricular ortodrómica y bloqueo de rama alternante. Esta respuesta infrecuente se explica por el hallazgo obtenido durante el estudio electrofisiológico. Una conducción nodal aurículo-ventricular acelerada produce un frente de onda que despolariza las ramas durante sus períodos refractarios. Una vez que ocurrió el bloqueo en una de las ramas, dicho bloqueo persistió debido al fenómeno de linking, que es por conducción oculta retrógrada repetitiva de la rama contralateral. Después de la ablación transcatéter de una vía accesoria oculta lateral izquierda, el marcapaseo auricular rápido a la misma longitud de ciclo de la taquicardia, reprodujo la misma aberrancia observada durante la taquicardia. Este procedimiento demostró que el bloqueo de rama funcional fue debido a la longitud de ciclo corto y no a la presencia de una vía accesoria aurículo-ventricular.

Functional bundle branch block during a supraventricular tachycardia can be observed with shorter cycle lengths and represent a physiologic response by the specialized intraventricular conduction system to accelerated AV nodal conduction. The present case corresponds to a young patient with exercise induced orthodromic A-V reentrant tachycardia and alternating bundle branch block. This unusual response is explained by the finding obtained during the electrophysiology study. An accelerated AV nodal conduction made the depolarizing wave front reach the bundle branches during their refractory period. Once block in one bundle was stablished, block persisted due to the linking phenomenon that is repetitive retrograde concealed conduction from the contralateral bundle. After catheter ablation of a concealed left-sided accessory A-V pathway, rapid atrial pacing at the same cycle length of the tachycardia reproduced the same aberrancies observed during tachycardia. This response proved that functional bundle branch block is due to the short cycle length and not the presence of an accessory A-V pathway.

DANTE prepulse SPACE MR sequence in quantitative evaluation of arachnoid granules / 中国医学影像技术

Objective To explore the value of delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation (DANTE)- sampling perfection with application optimized contrast using different flip-angle evolution (SPACE) sequences in quantitative evaluation of arachnoid granules (AG). Methods Thirty patients with arachnoid granules confirmed by conventional imaging were enrolled. All patients underwent SPACE and DANTE-SPACE sequences scanning. Distribution characteristics of arachnoid particles in sinus cavities and cranial plate on SPACE and DANTE-SPACE sequence images were evaluated, and the measurements were performed and statistically analyzed, including maximum cross-sectional area, longest diameter, SNR and CNR. Results A total of 43 arachnoid particles were detected with SPACE sequence, 29 in the sinus cavities and 14 in the cranial plate, while 45 arachnoid particles were found with DANTE-SPACE, 31 in the sinus cavities and 14 in the cranial plate. SPACE and DANTE-SPACE sequences showed no statistically significant difference in distribution of arachnoid particles (χ2=0.155, P=0.997). In the sinus cavity, SPACE and DANTE-SPACE sequences showed significant differences of the maximum cross-sectional area ([32.55±17.08]mm2, [29.15±16.24]mm2), the longest diameter ([7.13±2.00]mm, [6.42±1.81]mm), SNR (88.82±29.57, 83.30±32.11) and CNR (45.99±28.57, 65.33±30.96) of arachnoid particles (all P0.05). Conclusion DANTE-SPACE can effectively inhibit slow blood flow artifacts in the sinus, and accurately display arachnoid particles.

Effects of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on Serial Reaction Time Task / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To investigate the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on electroencephalography (EEG) rhythm and cognitive function. Methods:In December, 2017, 60 healthy young volunteers were divided into four groups equally, who accepted 20 Hz real or sham tACS on left C3 or right C4. They were asked to complete four types of finger sequence key pressing tasks (left/right hand random/regular key pressing) before and after stimulation, while the EEG signals were collected and the reaction time and accuracy were observed. EEG signals were analyzed with multiple difference analysis of event-related spectral perturbation. Results:The reaction time of contralateral hand reduced after C4 real stimulation. Conclusion:Right 20 Hz tACS can improve the learning of contralateral limb sequential movement.

Visual and automatic classification of the cyclic alternating pattern in electroencephalography during sleep

Cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) is a neurophysiological pattern that can be visually scored by international criteria. The aim of this study was to verify the feasibility of visual CAP scoring using only one channel of sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) to evaluate the inter-scorer agreement in a variety of recordings, and to compare agreement between visual scoring and automatic scoring systems. Sixteen hours of single-channel European data format recordings from four different sleep laboratories with either C4-A1 or C3-A2 channels and with different sampling frequencies were used in this study. Seven independent scorers applied visual scoring according to international criteria. Two automatic blind scorings were also evaluated. Event-based inter-scorer agreement analysis was performed. The pairwise inter-scorer agreement (PWISA) was between 55.5 and 84.3%. The average PWISA was above 60% for all scorers and the global average was 69.9%. Automatic scoring systems showed similar results to those of visual scoring. The study showed that CAP could be scored using only one EEG channel. Therefore, CAP scoring might also be integrated in sleep scoring features and automatic scoring systems having similar performances to visual sleep scoring systems.

Infarto isquémico mesencefálico: síndrome de Weber / Ischemic mesencephalic infarction: Weber's syndrome

La enfermedad cerebrovascular constituye la tercera causa de muerte en la población adulta, la primera causa de discapacidad a escala mundial y la segunda causa de demencia, problema de salud actual relacionado con otras enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles. Se presenta un caso de un infarto isquémico mesencefálico aterotrombótico en una anciana de 77 años con la expresión clínica de un síndrome de Weber. El síndrome de Weber es uno de los síndromes cruzados o alternos de la clínica y la neurología por lesión peduncular. Es poco frecuente y a la vez, el más frecuente de los alternos de tronco encefálico(AU)

Cerebrovascular disease is the third leading cause of death in the adult population, the leading cause of disability worldwide and the second cause of dementia. It is a current health problem related to other chronic noncommunicable diseases. We present a case of atherothrombotic mesencephalic ischemic infarction in a 77-year-old woman with the clinical expression of Weber syndrome, which is a crossed or alternating clinical syndrome and neurology by pedicle injury. It is rare and, at the same time, the most frequent alternating brainstem(AU)

A Case of Acute Vestibular Neuritis with Periodic Alternating Nystagmus / 대한이비인후과학회지

Detection of nystagmus is an important diagnostic clue in patients with acute vertigo. Patients with peripheral disorders exhibit nystagmus with a constant direction whereas those with central disorders exhibit nystagmus with changes in direction with or without gaze fixation. Periodic alternating nystagmus (PAN) is a horizontal or horizontal-rotary jerk-type nystagmus that reverses its direction with time. PAN is typically observed in patients with central disorders, such as cerebellar or pontomedullary lesions, but it is also observed in patients with peripheral disorders, albeit rarely. Here we report a rare case of a 58-year-old patient with vertigo with PAN, which was initially suspected as a central disorder, but eventually diagnosed as a peripheral vestibular disorder. We investigated the characteristics and mechanisms of peripheral PAN in this case. The absence of central disorder symptoms, visual suppression of PAN, normal oculomotor findings, and transient persistence are important diagnostic clues for differentiating peripheral from central PAN.

The Impact of Alternating Dissection in Conjunction with Reciprocal Peer Teaching on Practical Exam Scores in a Medical Anatomy Course / 체질인류학회지

The reformation of medical curriculum induced the reduction of anatomy course schedule especially in contact hours in anatomy laboratory. It has led to the use of more efficient teaching approaches in anatomy laboratory. The purpose of this work provide a detailed analysis of alternating dissections with reciprocal peer teaching in anatomy laboratory. Students were assigned alphabetically, in teams of eight or nine, to each dissecting table. The team was subdivided into two groups, A and B, each group dissected every other session. Students excused from dissection spent their time with team-based learning and self-directed learning. Dissected peer-teaching groups presented structures from the dissection to groups absent during dissection. Practical exam scores of the alternating dissection indicated no significant difference with those of classical dissection of previous year. Subgroup analysis of practical exam scores in alternating dissection was also no significant difference between group A and B. Assessment of question types showed that correction rates of questions in the dissected region was significantly higher on dissection group assignment. There were 9 questions (out of 86) in which there was a significant difference in correction rates between A and B groups. In conclusion, the laboratory paradigm of alternating dissection with reciprocal peer teaching demonstrated an effective method of learning gross anatomy laboratory for first year medical students.

Research on sinusoidal alternating magnetic field therapy system based on inverter technology / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To develop a sinusoidal alternating magnetic field therapy system in order to overcome the disadvantages of the single output frequency and the low effective value of the output magnetic field strength of the alternating magnetic field therapy system in the market,of which the frequency and magnetic density both were continuously adjustable. Methods Multi winding Helmholtz coil was used as the magnetic field generator.On the basis of inverter technology,bipolar equivalent area method considering dead zone and variable speed integral incremental PID control algorithm were used to achieve the accuracy control of magnetic frequency and density in the coil.The accuracy of the resulting waveform and the accuracy of the magnetic field strength was verified by simulation calculation and system current and magnetic field strength test.Results The magnetic field treatment system gained high performance,total harmonic distortion (THD)of sine wave met the requirements of international standards.The obtained magnetic density was as expected of the simulation and calculation. Conclusion The device provides continuously adjustable magnetic field,which has a positive effect on the research for the medical staff, and technical references are provided to the research of magnetic field therapy system.

Repeated low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation can relieve insomnia / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To observe any effect of low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the sleep and mood of elderly insomniacs.Methods Thirty-four elderly insomniacs were divided randomly into an experiment group (n =18) and a control group (n =16).The experiment group received rTMS of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,while the control group was given alternating magnetic field stimulation at the same site.Before and after 4 weeks of the treatments,all of the subjects were assessed using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI),the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD).They were also assessed with those instruments omitting the sleep items in order to reduce the possible impact of any sleep changes on the HAMA and HAMD scores.Results Before the treatment there were no significant differences in the groups' average PSQI,HAMA and HAMD scores.After 4 weeks all the measurements in both groups had decreased significantly,with the experimental group's averages significantly lower than those of the control group.Conclusions rTMS treatment is more effective than alternating magnetic field treatment for the elderly with insomnia,significantly improving their sleep and mood.

Clinical efficacy of Flunarizine in treating alternating hemiplegia in children and the influencing factors / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To investigate the effective rate of Flunarizine in treating alternating hemiplegia during childhood (AHC) kids,and to analyze the related factors influencing efficacy.Methods The clinical data and peripheral blood DNA of AHC patients at the Outpatient and Inpatient Ward of Department of Pediatrics,Peking University First Hospital from August 2005 to May 2016 were collected,and the A TP1A3 gene mutations were screened.Clinical efficacy of oral administration of Flunarizine for improving paroxysmal symptoms such as alternating hemiplegia in AHC patients was followed up.Results A total of 96 AHC patients were collected,and among them,75 cases received oral administration of flunarizine were followed up for 1-11 years.The age of last follow-up was 1-21 years old (the median age was 5 years old).Fifty of these 75 patients (66.7％) were improved,while 25 patients were not alleviated (33.3％).In 50 improved patients,43 patients (86.0％) reduced the frequency of hemiplegia attacks,28 patients (56.0％) reduced the duration,and 3 patients (6.0％) alleviated the severity.Univariate analysis between the effective group and ineffective group showed that differences in age of onset,age of initial treatment,dose and carrying D801N,E815K or G947R mutation of ATP1A3 gene were not statistically significant(all P ＞0.05).The findings by multivariate analysis indicated that age of onset,age of initial treatment,dose and carrying D801N,E815K or G947R mutation of ATP1A3 gene were not related to the efficacy of Flunarizine.Conclusion Flunarizine is effective for most AHC children,which can reduce the frequency of hemiplegia attacks,shorten the duration,and alleviate the severity of attacks.Age of onset,age of initial treatment,dose and carrying D801N,E815K or G947R mutation of gene A TP1A3 are not factors influencing efficacy.

Algorithm for predicting macular dysfunction based on moment invariants classification of the foveal avascular zone in functional retinal images

Abstract Introduction A new method for segmenting and quantifying the macular area based on morphological alternating sequential filtering (ASF) is proposed. Previous studies show that persons with diabetes present alterations in the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) prior to the appearance of retinopathy. Thus, a proper characterization of FAZ using a method of automatic classification and prediction is a supportive and complementary tool for medical evaluation of the macular region, and may be useful for possible early treatment of eye diseases in persons without diabetic retinopathy. Methods We obtained high-resolution retinal images using a non-invasive functional imaging system called Retinal Function Imager to generate a series of combined capillary perfusion maps. We filtered sequentially the macular images to reduce the complexity by ASF. Then we segmented the FAZ using watershed transform from an automatic selection of markers. Using Hu's moment invariants as a descriptor, we can automatically classify and categorize each FAZ. Results The FAZ differences between non-diabetic volunteers and diabetic subjects were automatically distinguished by the proposed system with an accuracy of 81%. Conclusion This is an innovative method to classify FAZ using a fully automatic algorithm for segmentation (based on morphological operators) and for the classification (based on descriptor formed by Hu's moments) despite the presence of edema or other structures. This is an alternative tool for eye exams, which may contribute to the analysis and evaluation of FAZ morphology, promoting the prevention of macular impairment in diabetics without retinopathy.

The Application of Brain Stimulation in Psychiatric Disorders: An Overview

Based on advances in biotechnology and neuroscience, neuromodulation is poised to gain clinical importance as a treatment modality for psychiatric disorders. In addition to old-established electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), clinicians are expected to understand newer forms of neurostimulation, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). Given the growing interest in non-invasive neuromodulation technologies, clinicians may seek sufficient information about neuromodulation to inform their clinical practice. A growing literature suggests that applications of non-invasive neuromodulation have evidence particularly for indications where treatments are currently insufficient, such as drug-resistant depression. However, positive neuromodulation studies require replication, and the precise interactions among stimulation, antidepressant medication, and psychotherapy are unknown. Further studies of long-term safety and the impact on the developing brain are needed. Non-invasive neuromodulatory devices could enable more individualized treatment. However, do-it-yourself (DIY) stimulation kits require a better understanding of the effects of more frequent patterns of stimulation and raise concerns about clinical supervision, regulation, and reimbursement. Wide spread enthusiasm for therapeutic potential of neuromodulation in clinical practice settings should be mitigated by the fact that there are still research gaps and challenges associated with non-invasive neuromodulatory devices.

Immunosensor construction of label free detection of CD4+T lymphocytes / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To construct an immunosensor for detecting CD4+ T lymphocytes without labeling .Methods The staphy-lococcus protein A(SPA) method was adopted to conduct the oriented immobilization of CD4 monoclonal antibodies on the gold in-terdigitated microelectrode surface for capturing CD4+ T lymphocytes .Then cyclic voltammetry(CV) method was used to conduct the representation of modification situation on the gold interdigitated microelectrode surface .Finally the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) was used to detect the impedance of CD4+ T lymphocytes captured by the immunosensor .The standard curve was drawn by the impedance values change obtained by the equivalent electric circuit fitting .Results The linear range of this im-munosensor for detecting CD4+ T lymphocytes was (5 × 103 -5 .0 × 106 )/mL ,with lower detection limit of 5 .0 × 102/mL .Conclu-sion The constructed immunosensor has accurate and reliable detection results uhidn is simple to operate accurate ,convenient and cheap ,which might be expected to be used in the real-time detection system ,and offers help for realizing rapid ,accurate and inex-pensive CD4+ T lymphocyte count .

Research progress of electric field in the treatment of glioma / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Electric field treatment of tumor technology is of great significance in the treatment of glioma,including direct current electric field and alternating electric field.Direct current electric field affects the migration of glioma cells,and can be used as a new clue for the treatment of glioma.While alternating electric field can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells,and induce apoptosis,and can obviously prolong the survival period of patients with glioma and improve their quality of life.

Effect of high-intensity alternating magnetic field on viscosity of sheep blood / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Objective:To explore the changes of blood viscosity in high-intensity alternating magnetic field and the mechanisms.Methods:Five adult sheep were randomly selected and the blood samples were placed in highintensity alternating magnetic field.Before and after exposure,the blood samples were taken and divided into 2 groups:a control group and a magnetic field group.The blood rheology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed.Results:Compared to the control group,the high shear viscosity of whole blood was decreased in the magnetic field group (P＜0.05);the whole blood low shear viscosity and plasma viscosity were also decreased (both P＜0.01).TEM showed the changes in red blood cell morphology and the double concave disc curvature.The radian of double concave disc and cell volume in the magnetic field group was larger than those in the control group.Conclusion:The high intensity alternating magnetic field may affect the distribution of surface charge and molecular current in blood cells,which in turn decrease the aggregation of cells and the blood viscosity.