Progress in Mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus and Its Chemical Constituents on Multiple Sclerosis / 中国结合医学杂志

The primary chemical components of Astragalus membranaceus include polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoids, and amino acids. Recent studies have shown that Astragalus membranaceus has multiple functions, including improving immune function and exerting antioxidative, anti-radiation, anti-tumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and hormone-like effects. Astragalus membranaceus and its extracts are widely used in clinical practice because they have obvious therapeutic effects against various autoimmune diseases and relatively less adverse reaction. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of central nervous system (CNS), which mainly caused by immune disorder that leads to inflammatory demyelination, inflammatory cell infiltration, and axonal degeneration in the CNS. In this review, the authors analyzed the clinical manifestations of MS and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and focused on the efficacy of Astragalus membranaceus and its chemical components in the treatment of MS/EAE.

Prognostic factors affecting the success of conversion chemotherapy in patients with unresectable liver metastases from initially colorectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the factors affecting the success of conversion therapy in patients with initially unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) in order to provide evidence-based medical evidence for formulating individualized treatment strategies for patients. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was used in this study. Clinical data of 232 patients with initially unresectable CRLM receiving first-line systemic treatment in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2013 to January 2020 were collected, including 98 patients of successful conversion and 134 patients of failed conversion as control. Conversion therapy scheme: 38 patients received FOLFOXIRI regimen chemotherapy (irinotecan, oxaliplatin, calcium folinate and fluorouracil), 152 patients received FOLFOX regimen (oxaliplatin, calcium folinate and fluorouracil), 19 patients received FOLRIRI regimen (irinotecan, calcium folinate and fluorouracil), 23 patients received systemic chemotherapy combined with fluorouridine hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy; 168 patients received targeted therapy, including 68 of bevacizumab and 100 of cetuximab. Logistics analysis was used to compare the factors affecting the success of conversion therapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate progression-free survival (PFS), and the Log-rank test was used for survival comparison. Results: Among 232 patients, 98 patients had successful conversions and 134 patients had failed conversions with a successful conversion rate of 42.2%, meanwhile 30 patients underwent simple hepatectomy and 68 underwent hepatectomy combined with intraoperative radiofrequency ablation. After first-line chemotherapy, 111 patients (47.8%) were partial remission, 57 patients (24.6%) were stable disease, and 64 patients (27.6%) were progression disease. During the median follow-up of 18.8 (1.0-87.9) months, 148 patients were dead or with tumor progression. The median PFS time of patients with successful conversion was longer than that of patients with failed conversion (31.0 months vs. 9.9 months, P<0.001). Univariate analysis found that the bilobar distribution of liver tumors (P=0.003), elevated baseline carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels (P=0.024), tumor invasion of the portal vein (P=0.001), number of metastatic tumor>8 (P<0.001), non-FOLFOXIRI (P=0.005), and no targeted therapy (P=0.038) were high risk factors for the failed conversion therapy. The results of multivariate logistics analysis indicated that the number of metastatic tumor >8 (OR=2.422, 95%CI: 1.291-4.544, P=0.006), portal vein invasion (OR=2.727, 95%CI: 1.237-4.170, P=0.008) were the independent risk factors for failed conversion therapy, while FOLFOXIRI regimen (OR=0.300, 95%CI: 0.135-0.666, P=0.003) and targeted drugs (OR=0.411, 95%CI: 0.209-0.809, P=0.010) were independent protective factors for successful conversion therapy. Conclusions: The number of metastatic tumor and portal vein invasion are key factors that affect the outcomes of conversion therapy for initially unresectable CRLM. If a patient can tolerate chemotherapy, a combination program of three-drug and targeted therapy is preferred for the active conversion therapy.

Active constituents of Urtica fissa in inhibition of benign prostatic hyperplasia / 中国中药杂志

The present study investigated the material basis of Urtica fissa for the inhibition of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH). The active fractions were screened, and the extracts of dichloromethane and ethyl acetate exhibited significantly inhibitory activities against 5α-reductase in vitro and BPH in model rats. The chemical constituents in the active fractions were systematically investigated, and 28 compounds were obtained, which were identified as lobechine methyl ester(1), dibutyl-O-phthalate(2), 1-monolinolein(3), epipinoresinol(4), 5-hydroxy-3,4-dimethyl-5-pentanyl-2(5H)-furanone(5), E-7,9-diene-11-methenyl palmitic acid(6), evofolin B(7), ficusal(8), threo-2,3-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-ethoxypropan-1-ol(9), α-viniferin(10),(9R,7E)-9-hydroxy-5,7-mengatigmadien-4-one-9-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(11), indole-3-carboxaldehyde(12), p-hydroxy ethyl cinnamate(13), benzyl alcohol-O-β-D-glucoside(14), L-methionine(15), 4-methoxyaniline(16), 6-aminopurine(17), 8'-acetyl oilvil(18), 4-methoxyl-8'-acetyl oilvil(19), vanillic acid(20), β-hydroxypropiovanillone(21), 7-hydroxy-6-methoxycoumarin(22), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde(23), pinoresinol(24), erythro-1,2-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-propanediol(25), urticol(26), urticol-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(27), and lobechine(28). Compounds 1-17 were isolated from U. fissa for the first time. Meanwhile, compound 1 was a new natural product. Compounds 10, 11, 19, 21, and 27 exhibited significant inhibitory effects on 5α-reductase.

Association between physical activity and physical fitness index of Chinese children and adolescents / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the correlation between physical activity and physical fitness index of children and adolescents in China, so as to provide reference for physical activity and physical fitness promtion of children and adolescents.@*Methods@#In September 12,2018, 4 269 students were selected by cluster sampling in east, northwest, north, central, southwest and South China, the test of standing long jump, grip strength, 50 m running, improved seat forward bend, 30 s sit ups, 20 s cross repeatedly, 20 m round trip running was completed.@*Results@#In comparing the physical fitness index of children and adolescents with different levels of physical activity, the PFI values of the middle and high intensity physical activity (MVPA) groups of boys aged 10-12 and 16-18 years old were (0.46±3.58) (0.75±3.0), the value of PFI of the MVPA group were (-0.69±3.64) (-0.61±2.87), the difference was statistically significant ( t =0.04, 0.57, P >0.05). There was no significant difference in the values of PFI between the four age groups of the girls ( P <0.05). In comparison of physical activity status of children and adolescents in different physical ability grades, the time of MPA, VPA and physical exercise in healthy physical ability group was higher than that in unhealthy physical ability group ( Z =-2.04, -4.93, -7.09, P <0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between daily MVPA, physical exercise and physical fitness index ( P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Moderate and high intensity physical activity, that is, physical exercise, is positively correlated with physical fitness index. Therefore, it is particularly important for children and adolescents to engage in sufficient moderate and vigorous intensity physical activities.

Fetal growth, fetal development, and placental features in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: analysis based on fetal and placental magnetic resonance imaging / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

OBJECTIVE@#Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common endocrine-metabolic dysfunction in reproductive-aged women, may be involved in compromised pregnancy and offspring outcomes. This study aimed to investigate whether maternal PCOS affects fetal growth, fetal development, and placental features.@*METHODS@#This retrospective case-control study included 60 pregnant women with PCOS (PCOS group) and 120 healthy pregnant women without PCOS (control group). Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed followed by an ultrasound examination and indications for imaging, including known or suspected fetal pathology, history of fetal abnormality in previous pregnancy or in a family member, and concern for placenta accreta. Fetal MRI images were analyzed for head circumference (HC), abdomen circumference (AC), lung-to-liver signal intensity ratio (LLSIR, a prenatal marker of fetal lung maturity), lengths of liver and kidney diameters in fetuses, and placental relative signal intensity on T2-weighted single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) imaging (rSI@*RESULTS@#Compared to the control group, the PCOS group showed the following characteristics: (1) smaller biparietal diameter and femur length in fetuses (P=0.026 and P=0.005, respectively), (2) smaller HC in fetuses (evident after 32 weeks; P=0.044), (3) lower LLSIR and smaller dorsoventral length of liver in fetuses (evident before 32 weeks; P=0.005 and P=0.019, respectively), and (4) smaller placental thickness (evident before 32 weeks; P=0.017). No significant differences in placental rSI@*CONCLUSIONS@#There exist alterations of fetal growth, fetal development, and placental features from women with PCOS.

Clinical value of mean platelet volume/platelet count ratio in predicting short-term prognosis of elderly patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical value of mean platelet volume/platelet count ratio(MPV/PLT)in predicting short-term prognosis of elderly patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD).Methods:A total of 226 elderly patients with AECOPD admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to January 2019 were retrospectively enrolled as research subjects.All cases were divided into the survival group(n=175)and the death group(n=51), based on prognosis 28-day after admission.General data and laboratory test results were compared between the two groups.The relevant factors for death were analyzed by the Logistic regression equation.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the prognostic value of MPV/PLT, and the Kaplan-Meier survival curve was drawn according to the cut-off.Methods:Compared with the survival group, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Status Evaluation(APACHEⅡ)score, levels of procalcitonin(PCT), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), creatinine, neutrophil count(NEU), lymphocyte count(LYM)and MPV were elevated, and levels of albumin and PLT decreased in the death group( P<0.05). Hospital stay lengths and costs were higher in the death group than in the survival group( P<0.05). The level of MPV/PLT was higher in the death group than in the survival group(0.065±0.016 vs.0.054±0.013, t=5.036, P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression showed that MPV/PLT was an independent risk factor for recent death( OR=2.331, 95% CI: 1.772-8.224, P<0.01). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of MPV/PLT was 0.829, the sensitivity was 83.41%, the specificity was 82.80%, and the cut-off was 0.061.Optimal cut-off value analysis showed that APACHEⅡ score, PCT and hs-CRP levels and mortality were higher in patients with MPV/PLT≥0.061 than in patients with MPV/PLT<0.061( P<0.05). The Kaplan Meier survival curve showed that the cumulative survival rate was lower in those with MPV/PLT≥0.061 than in those with MPV/PLT<0.061( Log- rank=6.323, P<0.05). Conclusions:The increase of MPV/PLT may be an independent risk factor for recent death in elderly patients with AECOPD and has good clinical value in predicting poor prognosis.

Study on the Effects of Tetrandrine on Proliferation and Migration ，Invasion Ability of Neuroblastoma Cells and Its Mechanism / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To investigate the effects of tetrandrine （TET） on the proliferation and migration， invasion ability of neuroblastoma cells and its mechanism. METHODS： Human neuroblastoma cell lines IMR-32 and SH-SY5Y were chosen as objects. MTT assay was used to detect the effects of 0 （blank control）， 2.5， 5， 10， 15， 20 μmol/L TET on cell proliferation. The transmembrane number of normal control group （TET concentration of 0 μmol/L） and TET group （10 μmol/L for IMR-32 cells， 15 μmol/L for SH-SY5Y cells） were investigated by Transwell cell migration and invasion experiments. The protein levels of MMP-2， MMP-9， β-catenin， GSK3β and p-GSK3β in IMR-32 cells and SH-SY5Y cells were tested by Western blotting assay after treated with TET of above concentrations. RESULTS： TET with 5， 10， 15， 20 μmol/L can reduce the survival rate of IMR-32 cells and SH-SY5Y cells significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. IC50 of which to IMR-32 cells and SH-SY5Y cells were 10.148 and 14.461 μmol/L， respectively. Results of migration and invasion experiments showed that compared with normal control group， the number of transmembrane cells was decreased significantly in TET group （P＜0.01）. Results of Western blotting assay showed that compared with normal control group， the protein expression levels of MMP-2，MMP-9，β-catenin and p-GSK3β were decreased significantly in TET group （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS： TET shows significant inhibitory effects on the proliferation， migration and invasion ability of neuroblastoma cells， the mechanism of which may be associated with down-regulating the protein expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Progress on PM2.5 and its adverse impact on lung tissues / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

The atmospheric particulate matter(PM) is widely regarded as one of major environmentally and unfriendly ambient air pollution,and therein PM2.5 (diameter≤2.5 μm) is most closely related to human health.Because of its smaller diameter with longer suspension duration,PM can absorb many pathogenic microorganisms,and easily enter into the deep of airway and then deposit on the bronchus and alveoli,and it brings damage to the lung tissues and the surfactant proteins.PM can give rise to oxidative stress,inflammation response,cells and DNA damage.Now,this review focuses on the characterization and composition of PM,as well as the impact of PM2.5 on the lung,surfactant proteins and human health,which helps to call for more people to pay attention to this environmental issue in order to better mitigate and prevent the damage caused by PM.

Progress on PM2.5 and its adverse impact on lung tissues / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

The atmospheric particulate matter(PM) is widely regarded as one of major environmentally and unfriendly ambient air pollution, and therein PM2.5 (diameter≤2.5 μm) is most closely related to human health.Because of its smaller diameter with longer suspension duration, PM can absorb many pathogenic microorganisms, and easily enter into the deep of airway and then deposit on the bronchus and alveoli, and it brings damage to the lung tissues and the surfactant proteins.PM can give rise to oxidative stress, inflammation response, cells and DNA damage.Now, this review focuses on the characterization and composition of PM, as well as the impact of PM2.5 on the lung, surfactant proteins and human health, which helps to call for more people to pay attention to this environmental issue in order to better mitigate and prevent the damage caused by PM.

Detection of Ferric Iron Based on Fluorescence Quenching Effect of N-doped Carbon Quantum Dots / 分析化学

The photoluminescence properties of carbon quantum dots depend on their size and the properties of surface functional groups. The N-doped carbon dots ( using small molecular ethylenediamine ) with high quantum yield and excellent dispersibility were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method with biomass tar that was generated in the reductive smelting process as a precursor. Rapid and accurate Fe3+ detection based on the selective fluorescence quenching effect of N-doped carbon quantum dots was achieved. The results showed that the as-synthesized N-doped carbon quantum dots were regular spherical, uniform in size with an average particle size of 2. 64 nm with a quantum yield of 26. 1%, and the crystal lattice spacing was 0. 25 nm, corresponding to the ( 100 ) facet of graphitic carbon structure. The functional groups on the surface of N-doped carbon quantum dots could interact with Fe3+ to form complex compound by coordination, leading to the fluorescence quenching effect. Fluorescence emission ratios kept a linear relationship with the concentrations of Fe3+ in the range of 0. 23-600 μmol/L with the detection limit of 230 nmol/L.

Detection of Ferric Iron Based on Fluorescence Quenching Effect of N-doped Carbon Quantum Dots / 分析化学

The photoluminescence properties of carbon quantum dots depend on their size and the properties of surface functional groups. The N-doped carbon dots ( using small molecular ethylenediamine ) with high quantum yield and excellent dispersibility were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method with biomass tar that was generated in the reductive smelting process as a precursor. Rapid and accurate Fe3+ detection based on the selective fluorescence quenching effect of N-doped carbon quantum dots was achieved. The results showed that the as-synthesized N-doped carbon quantum dots were regular spherical, uniform in size with an average particle size of 2. 64 nm with a quantum yield of 26. 1%, and the crystal lattice spacing was 0. 25 nm, corresponding to the ( 100 ) facet of graphitic carbon structure. The functional groups on the surface of N-doped carbon quantum dots could interact with Fe3+ to form complex compound by coordination, leading to the fluorescence quenching effect. Fluorescence emission ratios kept a linear relationship with the concentrations of Fe3+ in the range of 0. 23-600 μmol/L with the detection limit of 230 nmol/L.

Autophagy in cerebral ischemia and the effects of traditional Chinese medicine / 中西医结合学报

Autophagy is a lysosome-mediated degradation process for non-essential or damaged cellular constituents, playing an important homeostatic role in cell survival, differentiation and development to maintain homeostasis. Autophagy is involved in tumors as well as neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Recently, active compounds from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been found to modulate the levels of autophagy in tumor cells, nerve cells, myocardial cells and endothelial cells. Ischemic stroke is a major cause of neurological disability and places a heavy burden on family and society. Regaining function can significantly reduce dependence and improve the quality of life of stroke survivors. In healthy cells, autophagy plays a key role in adapting to nutritional deprivation and eliminating aggregated proteins, however inappropriate activation of autophagy may lead to cell death in cerebral ischemia. This paper reviews the process and the molecular basis of autophagy, as well as its roles in cerebral ischemia and the roles of TCM in modulating its activity.

Analysis of Irrational Prescriptions and Pharmacists’Intervention in the Pharmacy Intravenous Admixture Service of Our Hospital / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To provide some references for rational application of intravenous infusion drugs to ensure the safety of drug use. METHODS:Statistical analysis was made to irrational prescriptions intercepted by the pharmacy intravenous admixture service of our hospital from 2009 to 2013. RESULTS:There were 5,802 groups of irrational prescriptions from 2009 to 2013,accounting for 0.12% of total prescriptions. For the irrationality,the top three reasons were improper solvent dosage, drug overdose and improper solvent selection in order,and the involved types of drugs were mainly antimicrobial agents,anti-neoplastic drugs,common drugs and parenteral nutrition drugs (arranged from more to less). Under the pharmacist’s interven-tion,the percentage of irrational prescriptions of intravenous drugs reduced from 0.169 4% in 2009 to 0.082 8% in 2013. The decrease in the irrational prescriptions involving with improper administration was the most significant,followed by those related to drug overdose,frequency,prescribing errors errors improper solvent dosage,incompatibility and improper solvent. CONCLU-SIONS:Pharmacists’intervention can effectively reduce the irrational prescriptions and significantly promote rational use of in-travenous drugs.

A method of generating synthetic medical image for the validation of segmentation algorithms / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective To develop a synthetic medical image generation system which can provide test images for the validation of medical image segmentation algorithms.Methods The synthetic image was created based on the deformation of region of interest (ROI) in original clinical images.First the synthetic foreground boundarywas generated by the resampling of the Fourier descriptors of manually segmented foreground boundary in original image.Then all the ROI pixels were divided into 4 categories and their intensities were calculated by texture matching techniques.Results The intracranial hemorrhage image was selected as the original image,and the generated synthetic images were applied to validate the precision and accuracy of multi-threshold segmentation and level set algorithm.Conclusion The proposed system can rapidly generate synthetic images with realistic appearance of clinical cases and well define ground truth foreground boundary.It has strong practicality for quantitative validation of segmentation algorithms.

Treatment of thoracalumbar fractures with pedicle-screw placement on the level of injured vertebrae / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical results of pedicle-screw placement and reduction on the level of injured vertebrae in treating thoracolumbar fractures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From March 2006 to May 2009, 27 patients with thoracolumbar fractures were treated with short-segment fixation system and pedicle-screw placement on injured vertebrae through posterior approach. There were 19 males and 8 females with an average age of 36 years old ranging from 24 to 68 years. Eleven patients were injuried by traffic accident, 9 patients were injuried by falling from high, 5 patients were injuried by crush from weighty object, 2 patients were others injuries. Thoracolumbar fractures were classified according to Gertibein classification: 2 cases were of type A1, 3 cases A2, 12 cases A3, 5 cases B1, 5 cases B2. Among them, 14 cases were accompanied with spinal cord injuries,functional assessment of nerves was assessed according to Frankel criteria: 5 cases were of grade B, 3 cases C, 6 cases D. Lumbago according to Denis standard, grade P5 was in all cases. The injured level of 5 cases was in T11, 11 cases in T12, 8 cases in L1, 3 cases in L2. From injury to operation it was 2-15 days with an average of 4 days. The ratio of vertebral height between anterior and posterior border, anteroposterior Cobb angle were compared before and after operation. Function of nerves and index of lumbago were evaluated by Frankel and Denis classification.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients were followed up from 14 to 17 months with the mean of 15.5 months. At final follow-up,according to Frankel score system to evaluate function of nerve,2 cases were of grade B, 4 case grade C, 3 cases grade D, 5 cases grade E; according to Denis score system to evaluate index of lumbago, there was P1 (without pain) in 17 cases, P2 (between whiles minute pain, need not treatment) in 8 cases, P3 (moderate pain, between whiles need medication) in 2 cases. The ratio of vertebral height between anterior and posterior border from preoperatively 0.32 +/- 0.14 to postoperatively 0.85 +/- 0.03 (P<0.01); anteroposterior Cobb angle from preoperatively (25.3 +/- 7.8) degrees to postoperatively (11.1 +/- 1.5) degrees (P<0.01). At final follow-up, the ratio of vertebral height between anterior and posterior border, anteroposterior Cobb angle were respectively 0.81 +/- 0.06 and (11.8 +/- 1.9) degrees, there was no significant difference between postoperative and at final follow-up (P>0.05). No complications such as infection, internal fixation failure,nerve injuries were found during follow-up.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Posterior short-segment fixation system and pedicle-screw placement on level of injured vertebrae is one kind of effective method in treating thoracolumbar fracture, which can maintain corrective effect and obtain better clinical outcomes.</p>

A new rat model of cerebral infarction based on the injury of vascular endothelial cell / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>A new rat model of cerebral infarction was developed to elucidate the contribution of vascular endothelial cell during focal cerebral infarction formation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the model group, sham operation group, and control group for indexes observation of triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) dyeing, neurological deficit, plasma tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) activity, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) activity, thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)) content, and 6-keto-prostaglandin (6-keto-PGF(1alpha)) content.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) The highest neurological score appeared at 6 h after operation, descending significantly at sequential time. (2) Using TTC dyeing and optical microscope technique, pathological changes in brains were observed. (3) Compared with control group and sham operation groups, there was a decrease in tPA activity of model rats at the initial 12 h after injection of sodium laurate (P < 0.05), PAI activity decreased markedly in the model group at 24 h after injection of sodium laurate. (4) In plasma TXB(2) concentration reached the highest level compared at 6 h after injection of sodium laurate, but there were not obvious differences in plasma 6-keto-PGF(1alpha) concentration among all groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Focal cerebral infarction in rats could be induced by some sodium laurate, showing ischemic cerebrum necrosis, function disorder of vascular endothelium-platelet, fibrinolysis abnormality. This model could play an important role in researching the contribution of vascular endothelial cell during cerebral infarction development, preventing and curing by traditional Chinese medicine.</p>

Spastin gene mutation in Chinese patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the mutation characteristics of spastin gene in Chinese patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and thus provide a basis for the gene diagnosis of HSP.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mutation of spastin gene was screened by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) combined with DNA direct sequencing in 31 unrelated affected HSP individuals in China, of whom 22 were from autosomal dominant families and 9 were sporadic HSP patients. Co-segregation analysis was carried out after the finding of abnormal SSCP bands.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Six cases were found to have abnormal SCP bands, and among them, two missense mutations (T1258A, A1293G in exon 8) and one deletion mutation (1667delACT or 1668delCTA or 1669delTAC in exon 14) were found and all of them were not reported previously. They were all co-segregated with the disease and were localized within the functional domain of spastin gene. Besides, T1258A was seen in two unrelated families.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mutation rate (18.2%) in autosomal dominant HSP in Chinese patients is comparatively low. Point mutation is the major mutation type and exon 8 may be the mutation hot spot.</p>

X-knife radiosurgery in the treatment of brain metastasis of lung carcinoma / 中国微创外科杂志

Objective To discuss the X-knife radiosurgery (XKS) in the treatment of brain metastasis of lung carcinoma. Methods A total of 100 patients with similar prognostic factors were divided into two groups with 50 patients in each group, receiving either whole-brain radiotherapy alone (30~40 Gy/3~4 weeks) (Radiotherapy Group) or XKS combined with radiotherapy (Combination Group). In the Combination Group, 27 patients received XKS with single fraction of radiation, with a median prescription dose of 14.2 Gy, and the other 23 patients received multiple fractions of radiation (5~10 Gy/f, 3 times weekly), with a total dose of 15~30 Gy. Results In the Combination Group and the Radiotherapy Group, the median survival time was 16.4 and 10 months, respectively (P=0.0064), the 2-year local tumor control rate was 88% (44/50) and 44% (22/50), respectively (?2=21.569,P=0.000), and the effective rate under CT or MRI scanning at 1~3 months after treatment was 87.5% (35/40) and 52.2% (24/46), respectively (?2=16.497,P=0.001). An analysis on the cause of death showed that 11.9% of patients (5/42) in the Combination Group died from brain metastasis, which was significantly lower than that in the Radiotherapy Group (55.6%, 25/45) (?2=25.908,P=0.000). The incidence of complications was not significantly different between the Combination Group (8%, 4/50) and the Radiotherapy Group (4%, 2/50) (?2=0.709,P=0.400). Conclusions Combined use of X-knife radiosurgery and routine radiotherapy has better therapeutic effects than radiotherapy alone for treating brain metastatic tumor.