Predictive value of inflammatory indicators for post-stroke depression in patients with ischemic stroke / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the association of venous blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and IL-6 at 2 weeks after admission with the occurrence of post-stroke depression (PSD) in patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke.@*METHODS@#The hospitalized patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke were recruited consecutively from the Department of Neurology of Yijishan Hospital from March, 2015 to September, 2017. The demographic and baseline clinical data on admission and the imaging data were collected. The diagnosis of PSD was established in line with DSM-IV (SCID-I-R) at 3 months during the follow-up. The severity of PSD was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation of NLR, PLR, IL-17, and IL-6 with PSD in these patients.@*RESULTS@#A total of 376 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled, including 224 male patients (59.57%) and 152 female patients (40.43%), whose mean age was 61.37±10.34 years. Of these patients 104 (27.66%) were found to have PSD. Univariate analysis showed that gender, years of education, BMI, widowhood, NIHSS score, MMSE score, mRS score, and laboratory indexes (NLR, PLR, IL-17, and IL-6) were all significantly correlated with PSD (all < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for the compounding factors, the third quartile of NLR ( < 0.001), the third quartile of PLR (=0.002), IL-17 (=0.025) and IL-6 (=0.016) were independent factors that predicted the occurrence of PSD.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Elevated NLR and PLR at admission and levels of IL-17 and IL-6 at 2 weeks after admission are all independent predictors of the occurrence of PSD at 3 months after stroke.

Relationship between hemoglobin level and the prognosis of cerebral infraction in elderly patients aged 75 years and over / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To investigate the relationship between hemoglobin levels and prognosis of cerebral infarction in elderly patients aged 75 years and over.Methods A retrospective analysis of 238 elderly patients (≥75 years old) with cerebral infarction admitted into our hospital from January 2016 to June 2018 was performed.The age,gender,serum creatinine and risk factors for stroke (hypertension,diabetes,dyslipidemia,homocysteine,atrial fibrillation,smoking,drinking),coronary heart disease,previous stroke history,tumor history,National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score,hemoglobin,hematocrit and other basic data were recorded.The patients were divided into the group with good prognosis (mRS score ≤ 2) and the group with poor prognosis (mRS score ＞ 2).The relationship between hemoglobin levels and the prognosis of cerebral infarction in elderly patients were analyzed.Results After 6 months of follow-up,124 (52.1％,124/238) stroke patients had a good prognosis,and 114 (47.9％,114/238) patients had a poor prognosis,including 21 deaths.Anemia at admission (OR =2.433,95％CI:1.213-4.591,P=0.011),new-onset anemia after hospitalization (OR =2.615,95％CI:1.333-6.521,P =0.043) and the low level of minimum hemoglobin during hospitalization (OR =0.847,95 ％ CI:0.671-0.971,P =0.038) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in elderly stroke patients aged ≥75 years.New-onset anemia after hospitalization (OR =1.015,95％ CI:1.002-1.027,P--0.022),the low level of minimum hemoglobin during hospitalization (OR =0.801,95％CI:0.654-0.981,P=0.027),the decrement of hemoglobin ≥ 20 g/L (OR =1.342,95％ CI:1.011-1.763,P =0.000) at reexamination were independent risk factors for the mortality in elderly patients with cerebral infarction.Conclusions Anemia at admission,new-onset anemia after hospitalization,and the low level of minimum hemoglobin during hospitalization are independent predictors for poor prognosis in cerebral infarction patients aged ≥75 years.The decrement of hemoglobin ≥20 g/L after admission is an independent predictor for high mortality in elderly patients with cerebral infarction.

Relationship between hemoglobin level and the prognosis of cerebral infraction in elderly patients aged 75 years and over / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the relationship between hemoglobin levels and prognosis of cerebral infarction in elderly patients aged 75 years and over.@*Methods@#A retrospective analysis of 238 elderly patients (≥75 years old) with cerebral infarction admitted into our hospital from January 2016 to June 2018 was performed. The age, gender, serum creatinine and risk factors for stroke (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, homocysteine, atrial fibrillation, smoking, drinking), coronary heart disease, previous stroke history, tumor history, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, hemoglobin, hematocrit and other basic data were recorded. The patients were divided into the group with good prognosis (mRS score ≤ 2) and the group with poor prognosis (mRS score > 2). The relationship between hemoglobin levels and the prognosis of cerebral infarction in elderly patients were analyzed.@*Results@#After 6 months of follow-up, 124 (52.1%, 124/238) stroke patients had a good prognosis, and 114 (47.9%, 114/238) patients had a poor prognosis, including 21 deaths. Anemia at admission (OR=2.433, 95%CI: 1.213-4.591, P=0.011), new-onset anemia after hospitalization (OR=2.615, 95%CI: 1.333-6.521, P=0.043) and the low level of minimum hemoglobin during hospitalization (OR=0.847, 95%CI: 0.671-0.971, P=0.038) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in elderly stroke patients aged ≥75 years. New-onset anemia after hospitalization (OR=1.015, 95%CI: 1.002-1.027, P=0.022), the low level of minimum hemoglobin during hospitalization (OR=0.801, 95%CI: 0.654-0.981, P=0.027), the decrement of hemoglobin ≥20 g/L (OR=1.342, 95%CI: 1.011-1.763, P=0.000) at reexamination were independent risk factors for the mortality in elderly patients with cerebral infarction.@*Conclusions@#Anemia at admission, new-onset anemia after hospitalization, and the low level of minimum hemoglobin during hospitalization are independent predictors for poor prognosis in cerebral infarction patients aged ≥75 years. The decrement of hemoglobin ≥20 g/L after admission is an independent predictor for high mortality in elderly patients with cerebral infarction.

Association of post-stroke depression with tryptophan hydroxylase 2 rs4641528 polymorphism and risk factors of post-stroke depression / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective To investigate the association of post-stroke depression (PSD) with tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) gene polymorphism and related clinical risk factors of PSD.Methods Three hundred and seventy-six patients diagnosed as having acute ischemic stroke for the first time, admitted to our hospital from March 2015 to September 2017, were chosen in our study. According to Hamilton depression scale scores and Diagnostic and statisistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), these patients were divided into PSD group and non-PSD group. High-resolution melt analysis was used to complete the genotyping ofTPH2gene rs4641528 and rs1386494 in the enrolled patients. The correlations of single nucleotide polymorphisms and PSD were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was performed on items with statistically significant differences in univariate analysis to identify independent factors affecting PSD.Results There were 104 patients into the PSD group and 272 patients into the non-PSD group; there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in years of education and NIHSS scores (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in rs1386494 genotype and allele frequency between the two groups (P>0.05); there were significant differences in rs4641528 genotype and allele frequency between the two groups (P> 0.05). The C allele inthe chromosomes of PSD patients accounted for 54.3％, while the C allele in the chromosomes of non-PSD patients accounted for 43.4％; the presence of allele (C) increased the risk of PSD (OR=1.552, 95％CI: 1.126-2.141,P=0.007). The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that baseline NIHSS scores and genotypes of rs4641528 (C/C+C/T) were independent influencing factors of PSD.Conclusion TPH2rs4641528 gene polymorphism and baseline NIHSS scores are found to be associated with depression 3 months after stroke in south Anhui province.

Expression of costimulatory molecule inducible costimulator and coinhibitory molecule programmed death-1 in patients with myasthenia gravis / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To explore the immunopathological mechanism for the imbalance between the positive signal mediated by inducible costimulator (ICOS) and the negative signal mediated by programmed death-1 (PD-1) in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).Methods Eighty-two patients with MG,56 healthy controls (HC) and 20 non-MG (NMG) patients,collected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University from February 2014 to December 2016,were chosen to participate in the study.The expression of ICOS and PD-1 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells was detected by immuno-fluorescence staining and flow cytometry.The levels of soluble programmed death-1 (sPD-1),soluble programmed death ligand 1 (sPD-L1),IL-4 and other cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results (1) Flow cytometry analysis:The co-expression of PD-1,ICOS on CD4 + T cells from MG group (9.64％ (8.82％)) was higher than in HC (1.81％ (2.10％),Z =-7.389,P ＜0.05) and NMG group (2.86％ (1.49％),Z =-4.636,P ＜ 0.05).The expression of ICOS on CD4 + T cells,ICOS ligand (ICOSL) on CD14+ monocytes and CD19+ B cells were increased in MG group comparing with that of the control groups.The proportion of PD-1 + CD4 + T cells (MG group 16.82％ (10.66％),HC 9.34％ (9.18％),Z =-4.345,P＜0.05;NMG group 7.07％ (3.40％),Z=-4.594,P＜0.05) and PD-1 Ligand (PD-L1) + CD14+ monocytes was higher in MG patients.All of these were detected by flow cytometry.(2) ELISA analysis:Serum sPD-1 expression significantly increased in MG group compared with that in the control groups (MG group (1.87 ± 0.64) ng/ml,NMG group (1.49 ± 0.70) ng/ml,t =2.04,P ＜ 0.05;HC (1.05 ± 0.50)ng/ml,t =2.08,P ＜ 0.05),while for serum sPD-L1,there was no significant difference between MG and control groups.(3) Serum cytokines detection:The expression of IL-4 was increased in MG patients (MG group (61.88 ±5.15) pg/ml,HC (32.03 ±1.84) pg/ml,t=2.50,P＜0.05;NMG group (42.62± 3.31) pg/ml,t =2.34,P ＜0.05),and there was a negative correlation between the expression of sPD-1 and the concentration of IL-4.Conclusions The increased expression of PD-1 + ICOS + CD4 + T cells suggested the subset involved in the pathological progress of MG.sPD-1 might disturb the ligation of PD-1 on T cells and PD-L1 on antigen presenting cells,while the ligation of ICOS and ICOSL passed positive signal,leading to over activity of the subsets and the progression of disease.

Significance of negative costimulatory molecule programmed death-1/programmed death 1-ligand expressions in peripheral blood of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective To discuss the clinical significance of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients by analyzing PD-1 and programmed death 1-1igand (PD-L1) expressions.Methods Sixteen patients with NMOSD,16 patients with longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM),13 patients with opticneuritis (ON),20 with other diseases of the central nervous system (OTH) and 16 health controls (CONs) were chosen in our hospital from April 2015 to July 2016;their peripheral blood was separately collected.The PD-1 expression in the CD4+r lymphocytes,and PD-L1 expressions in the CD14+ mononuclear leucocytes and CD19+B lymphocytes of peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry.ELISA was performed to analyze the levels of soluble PD-1 and soluble PD-L1 in plasma samples.Results The PD-1 level from the peripheral blood of NMOSD patients was significantly higher than that from LETM,ON,and OTH patients and CONs (P＜0.05).The PD-L1 level of NMOSD patients was significantly higher than that of the other 4 groups (P＜0.05).ELISA indicated that levels of soluble PD-1 and soluble PD-L1 in plasma samples from NMOSD patients were significantly higher than those in LETM,ON,and OTH patients and CONs (P＜0.05).Conclusion The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is an important immune response approach and takes part in the earlier stage of the NMOSD pathological process.

Clinical Study on TanshinoneⅡA Sodium Sulfonate Injection in the Treatment of Acute Cerebral Infarction / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of TanshinoneⅡA sodium sulfonate injection on levels of P-selectin,glial fi-brillary acidic protein (GFAP),vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and neurological function in patients with acute cere-bral infarction. METHODS:A total of 114 patients with acute cerebral infarction selected from Lianyungang First People's Hospi-tal during Apr. 2013-Apr. 2016 were divided into control group and observation group according to random number table,with 57 cases in each group. Control group was given routine treatment. Observation group was additionally given Tanshinone ⅡA sodium sulfonate injection 40 mg 0.9％ sodium chlonride injection 250 mL,ivgtt,qd. A treatment course lasted for 7 d,and both received 2 courses of treatment. NIHSS scores,the levels of serum P-selectin,GFAP and VEGF were compared between 2 groups before treatment and after 7,14 d of treatment. The occurrence of ADR was also compared. RESULTS:Before treatment,there was no statistical significance in above indexes between 2 groups(P>0.05). Compared to before treatment,NIHSS score,the levels of se-rum P-selectin and GFAP in 2 groups were decreased significantly after 7,14 d of treatment,while the serum level of VEGF was increased significantly. These indexes of 2 groups after 14 d of treatment were significantly better than 7 d of treatment,except for NIHSS score. Above indexes of observation group was significantly better than those of control group during corresponding period, with statistical significance (P<0.05). No obvious ADR was found in 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS:For acute cerebral infarction, Tanshinone ⅡA sodium sulfonate injection can significantly reduce the levels of serum P-selectin and GFAP,improve VEGF level and promote the recovery of neurological damage with good safety.

Associations of plasma homocysteine level and MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism with white matter lesions in Chinese Han population / 国际脑血管病杂志

Objeetive To investigate the associations of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism with white matter lesion (WML) in a Chinese Han population.Methods A toal of 104 patients with WML and 74 controls were recruited.Hcy level and MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism were determined.The degree of severity of the WML was evaluated using a modified Scheltens scale.Results The plasma Hcy level (median and interquartile range,16.81 [11.33-18.92] μmol/L vs.11.40 [8.28-14.23] μmol/L;Z =5.415,P =0.001) and the proportion (85.6％ vs.54.1％;x2 =28.535,P ＜ 0.001) of patients with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) in the WML group were significantly higher than those in the control group.However,there were no significant differences in the frequencies of C677T genotype (x2 =1.255,P =0.534) and allele (x2 =1.057,P =0.304).There are 89 patients with HHcy and 15 patient with normal Hcy in 104 patients with WML.The modified Scheltens scale score in the HHcy subgroup was higher that in the normal Hcy subgroup (8.06 ±5.61 vs.5.80 ±2.98;t =2.324,P=0.027).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio[OR] 1.090,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.049-1.133;P=0.001),hypertension (OR 1.719,95％ CI 1.645-2.307;P ＜ 0.001),and HHcy (OR 1.128,95％ CI 1.044-1.219;P =0.002) were the independent risk factors for white matter lesions.Conclusions HHcy is an independent risk factor for WML,whereas the MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism is not associated with WML.

Risks of defecatory dysfunction in acute minorischemic strokepatients / 实用医学杂志

Objective To study the incidence and risk factors ofdefecatory dysfunction in acute minorischemic strokepatientsandexplore the influence of the risk factors onprognosis.Methods Clinical data of 274 patients with acute minor ischemic strokewere reviewed and analyzed retrospectively.According to the presence of poststroke defecatorydysfunction,they were divided into defecatory dysfunction group and non-defecatory dysfunction group.The factors associated withdefecatory dysfunctionwere analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariatelogisticanalysis respectively,followed by investigating their effects on the prognosis.Results 74 patients of them with acute minor ischemic stroke had defecatory dysfunction.The univariate analysis indicated that4 factors including baseline NIHSS scorewere the risk factors.Multivariate logistic analysis showed that female,age,diabetes mellitus and baseline NIHSS score were independent risk factors for defecatory dysfunction.The scores of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) after 3 months in minor stroke patients with defecatory dysfunction wassignificantly higher(P ＜ 0.05).Baseline NIHSS score was a predictive factor for the prognosis of post-stroke defecatorydysfunctionpatients.Conclusions Defecatory dysfunction in acute minor stroke patients may increase the risk of poor prognosis.The female,elderlypatients as well those with diabetes mellitus and serious neurologicalfunction deficits are more likely to suffer post-stroke defecatory dysfunction.

B7-H4 mediated immunomodulatory effects of mouse mesenchymal stem cells C3H10T1/2 on T cell polarization / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of B7-H4, a negative costimulatory molecule, in mediating the immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells C3H10T1/2 (C3H10) on T cell polarization. Methods The lentiviral vectors that carried the shRNA targeting mouse B7-H4 were transfected into mouse mesenchymal stem cells (C3H10-B7-H4). The cells were co-cultured with PHA-acti-vated mice spleen lymphocytes before and after the transfection. ELISA was performed to detect the concen-trations of cytokines in supernatants of cell culture in order to elucidate the effects of B7-H4 expressed by C3H10 on T cell polarization. A mouse model of experimental allergic encephalitis (EAE) was established. Fifty C57BL/6 mice were divided into five groups including control group, EAE group, C3H10 group (injec-ting EAE mice with C3H10 cells), C3H10-NC group ( injecting EAE mice with C3H10-NC cells) and C3H10-B7-H4 group (injecting EAE mice with C3H10-B7-H4 cells). ELISA was performed to detect the soluble form of IL-2, IL-17, IFN-γ and IL-4 in plasma samples. Results Knocking down the B7-H4 gene with shRNA significantly decreased the expression of B7-H4 on C3H10 cells, which weakened the inhibitory effects of C3H10 cells on the secretion of IL-2, IL-17 and IFN-γ by spleen lymphocytes. The therapeutic effects of C3H10-B7-H4 cells on mice with EAE were weakened after silencing the B7-H4 gene expression, which was manifested as higher nerve function score and earlier onset and bring forwarded peak time of EAE than those of the C3H10 group. Treating EAE mice with C3H10-B7-H4 cells was less efficient in inhibiting the expression of IL-2, IL-17 and IFN-γin plasma. However, knocking down the B7-H4 gene had no signif-icant effect on the expression of IL-4 in terms of treating EAE with C3H10 cells. Conclusion The co-inhib-itor molecule B7-H4 expressed on C3H10 cells mediated the treatment of EAE with C3H10 cells by regula-ting Th1 and Th17 effector T cells.

Relationship between ABCD3-I score and outcome in patients with acute minor ischemic stroke / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the value of ABCD3-I score in predicting the outcome of acute minor ischemic stroke. Methods Totally 255 patients were valued by ABCD, ABCD2, ABCD3, ABCD3-I and ESSEN score then the clinical characters, outcome and early progression of these patients were investigated. Results Forty-eight patients had poor outcome after 90 days. Univariate logistic regression indicated that the differences of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stenosis of criminal artery, abnormal signal in diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and other clinical symptoms between poor outcome group and good outcome group were statistically significant (P<0.05). The AUC of ABCD, ABCD2, ABCD3, ABCD3-I and ESSEN score in predicting outcome of acute minor stroke was 0.791 0, 0.798 3, 0.827 9, 0.930 0 and 0.735 9 respectively. There was difference among patients with different ABCD3-I scores both in outcome and early progression. Conclusion ABCD3-I score can predict the outcome of acute minor stroke and supply a new method for personalized treatment.

Reliability and Validity of Simple Facial Nerve Function Evaluation System for Idiopathic Facial Palsy / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of Simple Facial Grading System (SFGS) in patients with idiopathic facial palsy. Methods 80 patients with idiopathic facial palsy were evaluated with the House-Brackmann (H-B) scale and SFGS before and every 2 weeks after treatment until 12 weeks or recovery. They were assessed by 2 testers before and 2 weeks after treatment. The results were analyzed and compared. Results The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.93 of SFGS, and 0.74 of H-B scale. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between testers was 0.84 or higher of SFGS, and 0.77 or higher of H-B scale. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between SFGS and H-B scale was 0.73, Kappa coefficients was 0.81 for grade II, 0.74 for grade III, 0.49 for grade IV, 0.66 for grade V, and 0.92 for grade VI. The scores of SFGS and H-B scale positively correlated with the recovery time. Conclusion SFGS is a kind of evaluation for peripheral facial paralysis with satisified reliability and validity, which can be applied to evaluate the severity and outcome during acute stage.

Reliability and Validity of Simple Facial Nerve Function Evaluation System for Idiopathic Facial Palsy / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of Simple Facial Grading System (SFGS) in patients with idiopathic fa-cial palsy. Methods 80 patients with idiopathic facial palsy were evaluated with the House-Brackmann (H-B) scale and SFGS before and ev-ery 2 weeks after treatment until 12 weeks or recovery. They were assessed by 2 testers before and 2 weeks after treatment. The results were analyzed and compared. Results The Cronbach'sαcoefficient was 0.93 of SFGS, and 0.74 of H-B scale. The intraclass correlation coeffi-cient (ICC) between testers was 0.84 or higher of SFGS, and 0.77 or higher of H-B scale. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient be-tween SFGS and H-B scale was 0.73, Kappa coefficients was 0.81 for grade II, 0.74 for grade III, 0.49 for grade IV, 0.66 for grade V, and 0.92 for grade VI. The scores of SFGS and H-B scale positively correlated with the recovery time. Conclusion SFGS is a kind of evaluation for peripheral facial paralysis with satisified reliability and validity, which can be applied to evaluate the severity and outcome during acute stage.

Autophagy-related gene Beclin-1 expression in neuron-like differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have potential to self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. But after a long period of culture in vitro, the proliferation and differentiation capacities of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells gradual y loss, the mechanism underlying which is not clear now. OBJECTIVE:To observe the expression of autophagy-related gene Beclin-1 in differentiation from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells in vitro. METHODS:The changes of morphological characteristics of neuron-like cells differentiated from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by epidermal growth factor were observed. The expression of neuron-specific enolase and glial fibril ary acidic protein in treated and untreated human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were detected using immunocytochemistry. The Beclin-1 protein expressions were detected by western blot before and after induction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After being induced, human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells presented classical neuron-like morphology;the expressions of neuron-specific enolase and glial fibril ary acidic protein were 78.7%and 8.1%, respectively. The expression of Beclin-1 protein was changed correspondingly during the induction, which increased after 30 minutes of induction and decreased gradual y after 1 hour of induction. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells could be induced into neuron-like cells in vitro by epidermal growth factor. Autophagy-related gene was highly expressed in the induction of early differentiation and the expression gradual y reduced until it remained at a low level during the differentiation.

Reliability and Validity of Simple Facial Nerve Function Evaluation System for Idiopathic Facial Palsy / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of Simple Facial Grading System (SFGS) in patients with idiopathic facial palsy. Methods 80 patients with idiopathic facial palsy were evaluated with the House-Brackmann (H-B) scale and SFGS before and every 2 weeks after treatment until 12 weeks or recovery. They were assessed by 2 testers before and 2 weeks after treatment. The results were analyzed and compared. Results The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.93 of SFGS, and 0.74 of H-B scale. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between testers was 0.84 or higher of SFGS, and 0.77 or higher of H-B scale. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between SFGS and H-B scale was 0.73, Kappa coefficients was 0.81 for grade II, 0.74 for grade III, 0.49 for grade IV, 0.66 for grade V, and 0.92 for grade VI. The scores of SFGS and H-B scale positively correlated with the recovery time. Conclusion SFGS is a kind of evaluation for peripheral facial paralysis with satisified reliability and validity, which can be applied to evaluate the severity and outcome during acute stage.

Etiological diagnoses of vertebrobasilar insufficiency with dizziness in 773 patients over a 10-year period in Suzhou, China

Dizziness and vertigo were common but nonspecific symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency [VBI], while out-of-date VBI has been falsely considered the major cause of dizziness symptoms by many clinicians in China. The objective of this study was to re-evaluate etiological diagnosis of VBI with dizziness symptoms among the hospitalized patients during the past 10 years. Retrospectively searched patients with the diagnosis of VBI in the in-patient database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, China from January 1997 to December 2007. The original medical information were examined by the neurological specialists or combined with other specialists [such as otological specialists and cardiac specialists]. The terms of dizziness symptoms and the diagnoses of related diseases were strictly distinguished. Seven hundred and seventy three patients were entered in the study. Five hundred and forty five patients [70.50%] were from Department of Neurology. After re-assessment, 462 [59.77%] cases had vertigo as chief complaint. Sixty seven [8.67%] met diagnostic criteria of vertebrobasilar TIA. Forty one patients [5.30%] were attributed to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. There were 35 cases of Meniere's disease, 26 cases of heart diseases, 26 cases caused by abnormal blood pressure, 25 cases of psychological disorders, 21 cases of infectious diseases, 20 cases of syncope, 17 cases of sudden deafness, 11 cases of vestibular neuronitis, 7 cases of other ear diseases, 6 cases of migrainous vertigo and 5 cases of vertebrobasilar infarction. Thirty four were diagnosed as other diseases [6 cases of cervical osteoarthritis, 5 cases of brain trauma, 5 cases of encephalitis, 4 cases of intracranial hypotension syndrome, 4 cases of climacteric syndrome, 3 cases of old cerebral infarction, 2 cases of anemia, 2 cases of electrolyte disturbances, one case of multiple sclerosis, one case of hypoglycemia and one case of acute alcoholism]. Four hundred and thirty two [55.89%] in total incredibly remained undiagnosed because of incomplete clinical information. Serious exaggeration of VBI, confusion of dizziness symptoms and other related diseases lead to the abuse of VBI. VBI is not supposed to be used again. It's necessary to renew knowledge on VBI and dizziness symptoms, offer correct diagnosis and treatment to patients. The limitations addressed here are the retrospective design and more than 55% cases without definitive diagnosis.

Application of sympathetic skin response detection in evaluate the autonomic nervous damage in patients with cerebral infarction / 中国基层医药

Objective To explore the value of sympathetic skin response (SSR) detection for evaluating the autonomic nervous damage in patients with cerebral infarction.Methods 56 cases with cerebral infarction within 2 weeks and 50 cases of healthy controls were detected SSR by EMG,and the results were compared.Results 18 patients with cerebral infarction did not elicit SSR and 18 patients were abnormal with the latency and amplitude of SSR,and the abnormality rate of SSR was accounting for 64.29％,which was significantly different compared with control group( t =10.66,3.83,all P ＜0.01 ).Conclusion The patients with cerebral infarction had severe autonomic dysfunction and SSR,and SSR detection was a simple,safe and noninvasive method,and could quantitatively evaluate the svmpathetic function in patients with cerebral infarction.

Expression of programmed death-1 in peripheral blood of myasthenia gravis patients / 中华神经科杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between the negative co-inhibitor programmed death-1 ( PD-1 ) and the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis ( MG), by detecting the expression of PD-1 and programmed death ligand-1 ( PD-L1 ) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and soluble PD-1 (sPD-1) in plasma from myasthenia gravis patients. MethodsPeripheral blood samples were collected from 45 MG patients and 33 healthy persons without prednisone or other immunodepressant treatment during the half year ahead of withdrawal.The expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 on PBMCs were detected using immuno-fluorescence labeling and flow cytometry, and the concentrations of sPD-1 in plasma were measured using an ELISA kit. Results(1) The proportion of CD4+ PD-1 + T cells, as well as CD14+ PD-L1 +monocytes of the MG group was higher than that of the control group. There were no significant differences in the proportion of CD4+ PD-1 + T cells or CD14+ PD-L1 + monocytes in the MG sub-groups between different genders or MG types. While the proportion of CD4+ PD-1 + T cells of the late-onset MG (age ≥40) group was higher than that of the early-onset MG group (age ＜40). And it was higher in the MG patients with thymoma or thymus hyperplasia than that from the MG patients with normal thymus. The proportion of CD14+ PD-L1 +monocytes from the MG patients with thymoma or thymus hyperplasia group decreased obviously compared with that of the patients with normal thymus group; but no difference could be found between the late-onset group and early-onset group. (2)The concentration of sPD-1 in the plasma from the group of MG patients was(6. 92 ±0. 72) ng/ml,which was higher than that of the healthy control group ( (3.28 ±0. 42) ng/ml),even more, it was significantly higher in the early-onset MG group than that of the late-onset MG group,there was a negative correlation( r =-0. 526, P =0. 000) between the age of onset and the concentration of sPD-1. ConclusionsThe increased expressions of PD-1 on CD4+ T cells and PD-L1 on CD14+ monocytes in MG patients suggested the involvement of the couple of molecules in the pathogenesis of MG.Higher concentration of soluble PD-1 in the plasma of patients with MG suggested that it might disturb the ligation of PD-1 and PD-L1 on T cells and antigen presenting cells, which might result in the abnormal transportation of the negative modulating signal, and accelerate the pathological progress of MG.

Proliferations of T cell lines towards neural myelin sheath components in multiple sclerosis induced by neural myelin sheath and delipidated neural myelin sheath / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis(MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease induced by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Its pathogen and the mechanism of the relapse and remission m the course of the disease are still unknown. Most of the MS research centers are looking for the pathogenic polypeptide epitope in proteolipid protein(PLP), myelin sheath basic protein (MBP) and oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) OBJECTIVE: To compare the proliferation of T cell lines(TCL) in MS induced by myelin sheath and delipidated myelin sheath towards 11 components of myelin sheath to mainly search the possible pathogenic polypeptide epitope in PLP, and investigate the possible effects of abnormal dcgrease in myelin sheath.DESIGN: A case-controlled trial.SETTING: Department of neurology in a hospital of a university.PARTICIPANTS: Mononuclear cells(MNC) of 16 MS cases(clinical relapsing-remitting type, patients did not receive any immunosuppresant for at least 3 months when their peripheral blood samples were taken) and 12 HLA-DR15 healthy volunteers were furnished by Dr. Trotter JL of MS Research Center of Washington University from the cell database.INTERVENTIONS: MS-TCL and normal TCL were induced twice by stimulation with myelin sheath and delipidated myelin sheath in vitro by cell culture in vitro. TCL proliferation was tested by 11 antigens including PLP,MBP, M87-106, P30-49, P40-60, P89-106, P95-117, P117-137,P139-151, P178-191, and P185-206.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Difference of scintillation counting in every minute of every well, and the stimulative index of each well were calculated, and the mean wells with positive proliferation of TCL towards each antigen were confirmed as well.RESULTS: The general specific proliferation towards myelin sheath antigens was bigger in MS group than control group 5.49 ±5.31 to 3.10 ± 3. 17, and delipidated myelin sheath-induced TCL was bigger than myelin sheath-induced one 5. 49 ± 5.31 to 3.41 ± 4. 83 . Delipidated myelin sheath significantly changed the immune responses of MS group,especially the changes of responses towards P30-49, P40-60, P89-106,P117-137, P139-161, and P185-206 were significant compared with that the control group only responded to two polypeptides, which indicated that the antigen epitope of MBP, PLP, M87-106, P95-117, P40-60, and P185-206 might have significance in the triggering of MS autoimmune responses.CONCLUSION: TCL induced by MS myelin sheath has different proliferation towards antigen components of myelin sheath from control group. Delipidated myelin sheath significantly increases TCL proliferation in MS group, which suggests that if MS patients developed abnormal degrease in myelin sheath, TCL would produce autoimmune response towards self-myelin sheath, MBP, PLP and its polypeptide segments all can trigger MS or aggravate the state of the illness. Our finding supports the hypothesis of MS autoimmune pathogenic mechanism.

Study of the mechanism of brain injury caused by thrombin and the intervention effect of hirudin and nimodipine / 临床神经病学杂志

Objective To investigate the mechanism of brain injury caused by thrombin and the intervention effect of hirudin and nimodipine.Methods Different doses of thrombin or/and hirudin were injected into nucleus caudatus of SD rats,nimodipine was given intraperitoneally.Dry-wet-weighing technique,immunohistochemical method and TUNEL were used to examine brain edema,the changes of cytoskeleton,neuron apoptosis and histological changes.Results(1) High dose of thrombin resulted in severe cerebral edema as early as 4 h after injection and the maximum edema occurred at 24~48 h.The edema gradually decreased and got close to normal within 3~7 d.Cytoskeleton changes were observed at early stage(4h),reversible or irreversible injuries presented at 24~48 h,and neuron necrosis occurred within 3~7 d.Neuron apoptosis started at 4h and peaked at 24~48 h.In contrast,low dose of thrombin and normal saline did not show these effects.(2) The effects of thrombin could be inhibited by hirudin and nimodipine(a calcium-ion antagonist) could relieve or delay cell injury.Conclusions High dose of thrombin may result in severe brain edema,neuron irreversible injury and apoptosis,which all peak at 24~48 h.Early treatments could greatly reduce brain damage and improve prognosis of intracerebral hemorrhage.