Delayed improvements in visual memory task performance among chronic schizophrenia patients after high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairments are core characteristics of schizophrenia, but are largely resistant to current treatments. Several recent studies have shown that high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dor-solateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can reduce negative symptoms and improve certain cognitive deficits in schizophrenia patients. However, results are inconsistent across studies. AIM: To examine if high-frequency rTMS of the DLPFC can improve visual memory deficits in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Forty-seven chronic schizophrenia patients with severe negative symptoms on stable treatment regimens were randomly assigned to receive active rTMS to the DLPFC (n = 25) or sham stimulation (n = 22) on weekdays for four consecutive weeks. Patients performed the pattern recognition memory (PRM) task from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery at baseline, at the end of rTMS treatment (week 4), and 4 wk after rTMS treatment (week 8). Clinical symptoms were also measured at these same time points using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in PRM performance metrics, SANS total score, SANS subscores, PANSS total score, and PANSS subscores between active and sham rTMS groups at the end of the 4-wk treatment period, but PRM performance metrics (percent correct and number correct) and changes in these metrics from baseline were significantly greater in the active rTMS group at week 8 compared to the sham group (all P < 0.05). Active rTMS treatment also significantly reduced SANS score at week 8 compared to sham treatment. Moreover, the improvement in visual memory was correlated with the reduction in negative symptoms at week 8. In contrast, there were no between-group differences in PANSS total score and subscale scores at either week 4 or week 8 (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: High-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation improves visual memory and reduces negative symptoms in schizophrenia, but these effects are delayed, potentially due to the requirement for extensive neuroplastic changes within DLPFC networks.

Dioscin protects against coronary heart disease by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation via Sirt1/Nrf2 and p38 MAPK pathways.

Cardiovascular diseases are common diseases in Sweden as in most countries. In 2016, 25,700 persons suffered from coronary heart disease (CHD) and 25% of these died within 28 days. The present study investigated whether dioscin may exert protective effects against CHD­induced heart apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation in a pig model and the potential underlying mechanisms. Adult pigs were used to establish a CHD model group and 80 mg/kg dioscin was administered for 4 weeks. Histological analysis and measurement of serum levels of heart injury markers demonstrated that 80 mg/kg dioscin markedly alleviated CHD, while left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular systolic internal diameter measurements indicated that 80 mg/kg dioscin also increased heart function in the CHD pig model. Furthermore, western blotting demonstrated that 80 mg/kg dioscin significantly reduced protein levels of apoptosis markers in the heart of CHD model pigs, including Bcl­2­associated X and caspase­3, potentially via the suppression of poly (ADP­ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP)/p53 expression. Additionally, the results of ELISA and western blotting demonstrated that 80 mg/kg dioscin may reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in CHD model pigs through the promotion of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2­related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein expression and the suppression of PARP/p53 and p38 mitogen­activated protein kinase (MAPK) expression. The results of the current study indicate that dioscin may protect against CHD by regulating oxidative stress and inflammation via Sirt1/Nrf2 and p38 MAPK pathways.

Effect of Statins on COPD: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Much controversy persists regarding the place of statin drugs in the treatment of patients with COPD. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to determine the clinical efficacy of statin therapy in COPD. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database, and PubMed for relevant clinical studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of statin drugs with placebo in COPD populations were included. Pooled estimates were calculated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was determined using the I2 statistic. RESULTS: Ten trials with a total of 1,471 patients were included. Statin treatment was associated with a larger improvement in exercise capacity, lung function, and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score compared with placebo, but there were no statistically significant differences in inflammatory markers, all-cause mortality, and safety outcomes; however, subgroup analysis indicated that statin drugs improved clinical outcomes in the subjects from trials enrolling patients with overt cardiovascular disease (CVD), elevated baseline C-reactive protein levels, or a high cholesterol level. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this systematic review suggest a role for statin drugs in patients with COPD and coexisting CVD, evidence of increased systemic inflammation, or hyperlipidemia with respect to improving exercise tolerance and pulmonary function. These findings need to be confirmed by RCTs specifically designed to test this hypothesis and identify appropriate patients for statin use. TRIAL REGISTRY: PROSPERO: CRD42017060594; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/.

Structural maintenance of chromosomes 4 is a predictor of survival and a novel therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Structural maintenance of chromosomes 4 (SMC-4) is a chromosomal ATPase which plays an important role in regulate chromosome assembly and segregation. However, the role of SMC-4 in the incidence of malignancies, especially colorectal cancer is still poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We here used quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis to examine SMC-4 mRNA and protein levels in primary colorectal cancer and paired normal colonic mucosa. SMC-4 clinicopathological significance was assessed by immunohistochemical staining in a tissue microarray (TMA) in which 118 cases of primary colorectal cancer were paired with noncancerous tissue. The biological function of SMC-4 knockdown was measured by CCK8 and plate colony formation assays. Fluorescence detection has been used to detect cell cycling and apoptosis. RESULTS: SMC-4 expression was significantly higher in colorectal cancer and associated with T stage, N stage, AJCC stage and differentiation. Knockdown of SMC-4 expression significantly suppressed the proliferation of cancer cells and degraded its malignant degree. CONCLUSIONS: Our clinical and experimental data suggest that SMC-4 may contribute to the progression of colorectal carcinogenesis. Our study provides a new therapeutic target for colorectal cancer treatment.

[Spatial variability of soil nutirients and their relations with rice yield at village scale in karst mountainous area of Guizhou Province, Southwest China].

By using geo-statistics methods, an investigation was conducted on the spatial variability of soil pH, organic matter, total N, P, and K, and available N, P, K, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn and their relations with rice yield in Wenxing Village, Anshun City of Guizhou Province, Southwest China. The C0/(C0 + C) ratios for the soil pH, total P, and available N, P, K, and Cu and the rice yield components were lower than 25%, indicating their strong spatial correlations, while the C0/ (C0 + C) ratios for the soil organic matter, total N and K, and available Zn, Fe, and Mn and the rice yield were 25%-75%, showing a medium spatial correlation. Of all the soil nutrients, the soil available K had the closest relation with rice yield (r = 0.4669, P < 0.0001). The direct path coefficients of the soil available N, K and P to the effective panicle and thousand-grain mass were positive, in line with the partial correlation analysis. The Kriging interpolation showed that the soil organic matter, total N, and available N, K, Cu, and Zn contents presented a decreasing trend from the southwest to northeast, but the rice yield was higher in the northwest and southeast of the Wenxing Village.

[Association of single nucleotide polymorphism on chromosome 12q24.31 with susceptibility to coronary artery disease].

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome 12q24.31(rs2259816) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in Han population of southwest China. METHODS: A case-control association study with 592 unrelated patients with coronary artery disease and 463 normal controls from Chinese Han population was performed. Genotype for the SNP on chromosome 12q24.31 (rs2259816) was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: The genotypes of AA, AC, CC were both detected in the coronary artery disease group and the control group. The frequencies of A allele were 49.5% in case group and 43.8% in control group, showing statistically significant difference(OR=1.129, 95%CI:1.029-1.239, P=0.010). CONCLUSION: The replication study showed that the genetic polymorphism in rs2259816 is associated with coronary artery disease in Han population of southwest China.