Oxygen Metabolism-induced Stress Response Underlies Heart-brain Interaction Governing Human Consciousness-breaking and Attention / 神经科学通报·英文版

Neuroscientists have emphasized visceral influences on consciousness and attention, but the potential neurophysiological pathways remain under exploration. Here, we found two neurophysiological pathways of heart-brain interaction based on the relationship between oxygen-transport by red blood cells (RBCs) and consciousness/attention. To this end, we collected a dataset based on the routine physical examination, the breaking continuous flash suppression (b-CFS) paradigm, and an attention network test (ANT) in 140 immigrants under the hypoxic Tibetan environment. We combined electroencephalography and multilevel mediation analysis to investigate the relationship between RBC properties and consciousness/attention. The results showed that RBC function, via two independent neurophysiological pathways, not only triggered interoceptive re-representations in the insula and awareness connected to orienting attention but also induced an immune response corresponding to consciousness and executive control. Importantly, consciousness played a fundamental role in executive function which might be associated with the level of perceived stress. These results indicated the important role of oxygen-transport in heart-brain interactions, in which the related stress response affected consciousness and executive control. The findings provide new insights into the neurophysiological schema of heart-brain interactions.

Effect of single hyperbaric oxygen treatment on attention networks in young migrants in Tibet / 生理学报

Many studies have shown that high-altitude exposure could significantly influence human cognition, and the approaches which could enhance the human cognition in high-altitude hypoxia environment attract great attention. In the present study, we recruited a total of 60 subjects who had been migrated to Tibet University as adults for more than one year. These participants were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. The participants in the experimental group were instructed to complete a hyperbaric oxygen treatment, and those in the control group just completed a wait condition. By using the attention network test (ANT), the changes of the attention function before and after a single session of hyperbaric oxygen treatment were explored. The results showed that single hyperbaric oxygen treatment significantly improved the orienting function of attention, with an obvious post-intervention effect, but not the alerting and conflict function of attention. We also found a strong association between alerting function and conflict function after the end of intervention, suggesting the change of the overall performance of attention function. The present findings might suggest that the improvement of attention function by a single session of hyperbaric oxygen intervention is derived from the increase of general cognitive resources, rather than the transfer of cognitive resources within the attention system.

The effect of high altitude on human color perception / 生理学报

Exposure to a high altitude hypoxia environment has significant negative effects on human central nervous system. Many previous studies have explored the influence of the high altitude environment on human color perception in a simulated high altitude environment or in an environment acutely exposed to high altitude, but little has been done in migrators and natives exposed to high altitude and low oxygen for a long period of time. In this study, the minimal-change method was used to examine whether the color perception of red, green, blue and yellow was affected by the high altitude in 30 plain residents, 30 Han migrators who have lived in the high altitude for 2 years, and 28 high-altitude-adapted Tibetan natives. The results showed that long-term high altitude exposure had the most significant effect on the blue and red color perception in the natives and the migrators, with the effect on the blue color being significantly greater than that on the red color. However, the effects on green color processing only happened to the natives. The results suggest that there is an internal correlation between blood supply and selectivity changes of visual color processing caused by exposure to the plateau environment.

Case control study on Mobi-C cervical artificial disc replacement and anterior cervical decompression MC+fusion for the treatment of cervical spondylosis / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the clinical effects and clinical indications between Mobi-C cervical artificial disc replacement (CADR) and MC+ anterior cervical decompression and fusion(ACDF) in treating cervical spondylosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 100 patients with cervical spondylosis treated ACDF or CADR from June 2009 to June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 53 males and 47 females, aged from 38 to 70 years old. Among them, 50 cases were treated by ACDF (ACDF group), follow-up time was for 22 to 42 months with an average of (32.24±5.20) months;other 50 cases were treated by CADR (CADR group), follow-up time was for 23 to 48 months with an average of (30.40±5.66) months. Odom criterion was used to evaluate the clinical effects in two groups. JOA score, including sensory function, motor function and bladder function was used to assess the spinal cord function. Preoperative and postoperative responsible intervertebral space heights, cervical curvatures were compared by image data between two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All incisions obtained good healing and no serious complications were found. At final follow-up, 30 cases got excellent results, 12 good, 8 fair in ACDF group;and 34 cases got excellent results, 10 good, 6 fair in CADR group;there was no significant difference between two groups(u=4.000, =0.827). At final follow-up, the scores of sensory function and motor function were obviously improved(<0.05), and bladder function had not obviously recovered (>0.05) in two groups;and CADR group in the scores of sensory function and motor function were obviously better than of ACDF group(<0.05). There was no significant difference in preoperative intervertebral space height, cervical curvature between two groups, and at final follow-up both had different recovered. The recovery of CADR group was obviously better than of ACDF group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CADR can quickly recover normal action for patients and retains the movement. CADR has certain advantages in recovering cervical curvature, improveing sensory function and motor function, but it is not able to completely replace ACDF.</p>

Clinical effect of anti-VEGF drugs combined with laser therapy for DME patients / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM:To investigate the clinical effect of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs combined with laser photocoagulation for diabetic macular edema (DME).METHODS: Totally 94 patients (141 eyes) with DME from June to December 2015 in our hospital were selected and randomly divided into combined group of 47 cases (68 eyes, ranibizumab combined with laser therapy) and the control group of 47 cases (73 eyes, laser treatment).The levels of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), macular central retinal thickness (CRT), total macular volume (TMV) and macular edema level were compared between the two groups at different time after treatment.RESULTS: The mean values of BCVA in the combined group were higher than those in the control group at 2, 6 and 12wk, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).At 2, 6 and 12wk after treatment, the CRT and TMV values of the combined group were lower than those of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).After treated for 12wk, patients with macular edema of combined group was 80.9% in mild level, 17.7% in moderate level, 1.5% in severe level, those of the control group was 60.0%, 31.5%, 5.5%, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The effect of anti-VEGF drugs combined with laser therapy for DME patients is better than that of single laser therapy alone.