Knockdown of GPRC5B alleviates the high glucose-induced inflammation and extracellular matrix deposition of podocyte through inhibiting NF-kB pathway

Background Diabetes is a serious disease that could greatly increase the risk of cardiovascular complications, whereas the underlying pathology of DN is still unknown. GPRC5B is a member of the RAIG subfamily of type 3 (family C) GPCR, and its role in DN is still unclear.Objective To unveil the role of GPRC5B in diabetic nephropathy (DN) progression and investigate the potential signaling pathway.Materials and methods Podocytes were stimulated with high glucose and expression of GPRC5B was analyzed by qPCR and western blot. Then the level of GPRC5B was depleted by siRNA transfection and inflammatory cytokine level was monitored by ELISA assay. The ECM depostion and the activation of NF-κB pathway were detected by Immunoblot.Results We investigated the possible role of GPRC5B in the pathology of diabetic nephropathy. We found GPRC5B was highly expressed in high glocuse (HG) induced podocytes. The depletion of GPRC5B inhibited HG induced cell inflammation. In addition, the ablation of GPRC5B suppressed the HG induced ECM deposition. We further found GPRC5B could alleviate the inflammation and extracellular matrix deposition of HG-induced podocytes through NF-κB pathway (AU)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers exert genotoxic effects in pantropic spotted dolphin fibroblast cell lines.

Cetaceans accumulate persistent and toxic substances such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers in their tissue. PBDEs are ubiquitous in marine environments, and their exposure to mammals is linked to numerous health effects such as endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and fetal toxicity. However, the toxicological effects and mechanism of toxicity in cetaceans remains poorly understood. The effects of BDE-47 (0.1-0.5 µg mL-1), BDE-100 (0.1-0.5 µg mL-1), and BDE-209 (0.25-1.0 µg mL-1) exposure on cell viability, oxidative stress, mitochondrial structure, and apoptosis were evaluated using a recently established pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) skin fibroblast cell line (PSD-LWHT) as an in vitro model. However, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased following exposure to 1.0 µg mL-1 PBDE while superoxide anion, hydroxyl radicals, and inducible nitric oxide increased in a dose-dependent manner. At 0.5-1.0 µg mL-1, PBDEs significantly reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, exposure to BDE-47 and -209 significantly affected mitochondrial structure as well as cell signaling and transduction compared to BDE-100. Although PBDE exposure did not affect cell viability, a significant increase in cell apoptosis markers (Bcl2 and caspase-9) was observed. This study demonstrated that BDE-47, -100, and -209 congeners might cause cytotoxic and genotoxic effects as they play a crucial role in the dysregulation of oxidative stress and alteration of mitochondrial and cell membrane structure and activity in the fibroblast cells. Hence, these results suggest that PBDEs might have adverse health effects on cetaceans inhabiting contaminated marine environments.

Correlation Analysis Between Disease Severity and Inflammation-related Parameters in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia

AimThe new coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia outbreaking at the end of 2019 is highly contagious. Crude mortality rate reached 49% in critical patients. Inflammation matters on disease progression. This study analyzed blood inflammation indicators among mild, severe and critical patients, helping to identify severe or critical patients early. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 100 patients were included and divided to mild, severe or critical groups. Correlation of peripheral blood inflammation-related indicators with disease criticality was analyzed. Cut-off values for critically ill patients were speculated through the ROC curve. ResultsSignificantly, disease severity was associated with age (R=-0.564, P<0.001), interleukin-2 receptor (IL2R) (R=-0.534, P<0.001), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (R=-0.535, P<0.001), interleukin-8 (IL-8) (R=-0.308, P<0.001), interleukin-10 (IL-10) (R=-0.422, P<0.001), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (R=-0.322, P<0.001), C-reactive protein (CRP) (R=-0.604, P<0.001), ferroprotein (R=-0.508, P<0.001), procalcitonin (R=-0.650, P<0.001), white cell counts (WBC) (R=-0.54, P<0.001), lymphocyte counts (LC) (R=0.56, P<0.001), neutrophil count (NC) (R=-0.585, P<0.001) and eosinophil counts (EC) (R=0.299, P=0.01). ConclusionWith following parameters such as age >67.5 years, IL2R >793.5U/mL, CRP >30.7ng/mL, ferroprotein >2252g/L, WBC>9.5*10^9/L or NC >7.305*10^9/L, the progress of COVID-19 to critical stage should be closely observed and possibly prevented. Inflammation is closely related to severity of COVID-19, and IL-6, TNF and IL-8 might be promising therapeutic targets.

Predictors of death after endovascular mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute vertebrobasilar occlusive stroke / 国际脑血管病杂志

Objective@#To investigate the predictors of death after endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (EMT) in patients with acute vertebrobasilar occlusive stroke (VBOS).@*Methods@#Patients with acute VBOS treated with EMT in Wuhan No. 1 Hospital were enrolled retrospectively. The demographic and clinical data were collected. According to whether the patients died at 90 d after procedure, they were divided into survival group and death group. The demographic and clinical data were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for death at 90 d after EMT.@*Results@#A total of 47 patients were enrolled. The median age was 62 years, 34 were males (72.3%), the median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 16, 42 patients (89.4%) had recanalization (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction[mTICI] 2b/3 grade), and 12 (25.5%) died within 90 d after procedure. Univariate analysis showed that the baseline NIHSS score (26 [21-28]vs. 12 [5-23]; Z=-3.165, P=0.002), percentage of neutrophil (81.61% ±11.82% vs. 72.20% ±12.09%; t=-2.137, P=0.033), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (10.54±7.17 vs. 4.98±3.57; t=-2.393, P=0.017), and incidence of sICH (25.0% vs. 2.9%; χ2=5.627, P=0.018) in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group, while the percentage of lymphocyte (12.00%±9.04% vs. 20.67%±10.39%; t=-2.429, P=0.015) was significantly lower than that of the survival group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high baseline NIHSS score (odds ratio [OR] 1.243, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.046-1.318; P=0.038), high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (OR 1.278, 95% CI 1.002-1.630; P=0.049) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR 5.088, 95% CI 1.065-38.718; P=0.046) were the independent predictors for death.@*Conclusion@#High baseline NIHSS score, high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage are the independent predictors for death within 90 d after EMT in patients with acute VBOS.

Predictors of death after endovascular mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute vertebrobasilar occlusive stroke / 国际脑血管病杂志

Objective To investigate the predictors of death after endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (EMT) in patients with acute vertebrobasilar occlusive stroke (VBOS).Methods Patients with acute VBOS treated with EMT in Wuhan No.1 Hospital were enrolled retrospectively.The demographic and clinical data were collected.According to whether the patients died at 90 d after procedure,they were divided into survival group and death group.The demographic and clinical data were compared between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for death at 90 d after EMT.Results A total of 47 patients were enrolled.The median age was 62 years,34 were males (72.3％),the median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 16,42 patients (89.4％) had recanalization (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction [mTICI] 2b/3 grade),and 12 (25.5％) died within 90 d after procedure.Univariate analysis showed that the baseline NIHSS score (26 [21-28]vs.12 [5-23];Z=-3.165,P=0.002),percentage of neutrophil (81.61％ ± 11.82％ vs.72.20％ ± 12.09％;t =-2.137,P =0.033),neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (10.54 ±7.17 vs.4.98 ±3.57;t =-2.393,P=0.017),and incidence of sICH (25.0％ vs.2.9％;x2 =5.627,P=0.018) in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group,while the percentage of lymphocyte (12.00％ ± 9.04％ vs.20.67％ ±10.39％;t =-2.429,P=0.015) was significantly lower than that of the survival group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high baseline NIHSS score (odds ratio [OR] 1.243,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.046-1.318;P =0.038),high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (OR 1.278,95％ CI 1.002-1.630;P =0.049) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR 5.088,95％ CI 1.065-38.718;P =0.046) were the independent predictors for death.Conclusion High baseline NIHSS score,high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage are the independent predictors for death within 90 d after EMT in patients with acute VBOS.

Establishment and characterization of pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) dermal fibroblast cell line.

The pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) (PKW) is a tropical and subtropical marine mammal commonly found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Since the PKWs live in offshore protected territories, they are rarely seen onshore. Hence, PKW are one of the most poorly understood oceanic species of odontocetes. The dermal tissue comes primarily from stranding events that occur along the coast of the Shantou, Guangdong, China. The sampled tissues were immediately processed and attached on collagen-coated 6-well tissue culture plate. The complete medium (DMEM and Ham's F12, fetal bovine serum, antibiotic and essential amino acids) was added to the culture plates. The primary culture (PKW-LWH) cells were verified as fibroblast by vimentin and karyotype analyses, which revealed 42 autosomes and two sex chromosomes X and Y. Following transfection of PKW-LWH cells with a plasmid encoding, the SV40 large T-antigens and the transfected cells were isolated and expanded. Using RT-PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence analysis and SV40 large T-antigen stability was confirmed. The cell proliferation rate of the fibroblast cells, PKW-LWHT was faster than the primary cells PKW-LWH with the doubling time 68.9h and 14.4h, respectively. In this study, we established PKW dermal fibroblast cell line for the first time, providing a unique opportunity for in vitro studies on the effects of environmental pollutants and pathogens that could be determined in PKW and/or Cetaceans.

The preliminary analysis of double stent-retriever thrombectomy for acute internal carotid artery occlusion / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To explore the safety and efficacy of Solitaire AB double stents in acute occlusions in bifurcation of cerebral artery (including the ends of internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery M1 segment).Methods The clinical and imaging data of six cases treated with the double stent retriever technique using the Solitaire AB system in Wuhan No.1 Hospital from January to November 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.And the therapeutic effect and postoperative complications of them were analyzed.Results One patient took the double stents directly,whereas five patients were treated with double stent-retriever thrombectomy after the failure of single stent thrombectomy.All of the six patients achieved recanalization successfully (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) 3 in five patients,mTICI 2b in one).All patients had no intracranial hemorrhage immediately after thrombectomy.In the 24 hours,7 days and 2 weeks,the median NIHSS score was 10 (3-17),3 (1-15) and 1 (0-15),respectively.During perioperative period,one patient had asymptomatic cerebral hemorrhage,one died of symptomatic cerebral hemorrhage within 48 hours,and one was complicated with pulmonary infection.Five patients were followed up by outpatient visit,and four patients showed good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2).Conclusion In the emergency revascularization of acute cerebral artery occlusion at arterial bifurcation,double stent-retriever is better at increasing the efficacy of thrombectomy and is safe compared with single stent mechanical thrombectomy.

Correction: Saccharomyces Boulardii and Bacillus Subtilis B10 modulate TLRs and cytokines expression patterns in jejunum and ileum of broilers.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173917.].

Saccharomyces boulardii and Bacillus subtilis B10 modulate TLRs and cytokines expression patterns in jejunum and ileum of broilers.

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) and Bacillus subtilis B10 (Bs) on intestinal epithelial Toll like receptors (TLR), and Cytokine expression response to understand the intestinal epithelial innate immune mechanism in broilers. A total of 300 birds (Sanhuang broilers) were allotted into three groups (n = 100) and each divided into five replications (n = 20). Control group (Ctr) birds were fed basal diet, broilers in experimental groups received (1×108cfu/kg feed) Sb and Bs respectively in addition to basal diet for 72 days. The result showed significant increase in mRNA expression level of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR15. Down streaming MyD88, TRAF6, TAB2 and NF-κB mRNA level noted higher, in the jejunum and ileum as compared to control group. Meanwhile, IL-6, TNFα, IL-10, TGF-ß expression levels showed high expression in the jejunum of Sb and Bs groups. IL-10 expression level increased in the ileum and IL-6, TNFα, IL-10 and TGF-ß expression levels increased in the jejunum of Sb group. Levels of IL-1 ß, IL-17, and IL-4, increased merely in Sb group. Ileal cytokines IL-1ß, IL-17 and IL-4concentration were noted higher in Sb group, and IL-1ß, and IL-4 levels were up-regulated in Bs group. The results indicated that the INF-γ and IL-8 level decreased in Sb and BS groups. Serum IgA and sIgA level increased in both treatment groups. Our findings illustrated that S. boulardii and B. subtilis B10 may have a role to induce mucosal immunity by activating the TLRs and cytokines expressions in broilers.

Outcomes of endovascular treatment for acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke: Intracranial atherosclerotic versus cardioembolic stroke / 国际脑血管病杂志

Objective To compare the outcomes of endovascular treatment between intracranial large artery atherosclerosis stroke (LAA) and cardioembolic stroke (CE) in Chinese patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke.Methods Patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke treated with the Solitaire stent retriever were enrolled.The patients were divided into either a LAA group or a CE group according to etiological subtype.The outcomes were compared between 2 groups.Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for poor outcome (defined as the modified Rankin Scale score ＞2 at 90 d after onset).Results A total of 126 patients were enrolled in the study,including 62 (49.2％) in the LAA group and 64 (50.8％) in the CE group.The proportions of poor outcome at 90 d (59.0％ vs.41.0％;x2 =5.482,P =0.019) and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage at 72 h (12.5％ vs.1.6％;Fisher exact test P =0.033) in the CE group were significantly higher than those in the LAA group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores was independently associated with poor outcome (odds ratio [OR] 1.119,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.026-1.221;P =0.011),good collateral circulation was was independently associated with good outcome (OR 0.227,95％ CI 0.097-0.788;P =0.016),and etiological subtype was not independently associated with outcome (OR 1.280,95％ CI O.454-3.633;P =0.630).Conclusion Etiological subtype is not associated with outcome in patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke treated with the Sofitaire stent retriever.

Cytotoxicity of cyflumetofen on SH-SY5Y cells and possible mechanism / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To investigate the cytotoxicity of cyflumetofen for SH-SY5Y cells and the mechanism. METHODS SH-SY5Y cells treated with cyflumetofen 0.03, 0.06, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 2.6, 4, 6, 8 and 16 mmol·L-1 for 48 h. Cell survival was measured with MTT assay. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined with the DCFH- DA probe, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was detected by JC-1 staining. The morphological changes in cell nuclei were observed with Hoechst33258 staining. Cell cycle and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. The protein levels of phosphorylated Jun Kinase (p-JNK) and p-P38 were measured by Western blotting. RESULTS Compared with solvent (DMSO) control group, cyflumetofen (≥0.06 mmol · L- 1) inhibited the proliferation of SH- SY5Y cells obviously (P<0.05), and the IC50 was 2.6 mmol·L-1. MMP declined and ROS levels increased significantly in cyflumetofen 1, 2, 4 and 6 mmol·L- 1 groups (P<0.01). Cyflumetofen 2, 4 and 6 mmol·L- 1 induced nucleic accumulation, nuclear shrinkage and disintegration in SH-SY5Y cells. Apoptosis rates of cyflu? metofen 2, 4 and 6 mmol·L- 1 groups increased from (0.7±0.1)% in DMSO control group to (6.7±0.1)%, (72.4±8.6)% and (90.7±3.2)% (P<0.01). Cyflumetofen 4 and 6 mmol·L- 1 induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest (P<0.01). In addition, Western blotting showed that cyflumetofen 4 and 6 mmol·L-1 up-regulated the expression of p-JNK (P<0.01), while the level of p-P38 in SH-SY5Y cells was increased in cyflumetofen 6 mmol · L- 1 group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Cyflumetofen induces cell damage, apoptosis and G1 phase cell cycle arrest in SH- SY5Y cells. The mechanism may be associated with oxidative damage, and activation of P38 and JNK stress-response pathways.

Decreased Subcortical and Increased Cortical Degree Centrality in a Nonclinical College Student Sample with Subclinical Depressive Symptoms: A Resting-State fMRI Study.

Abnormal functional connectivity (FC) at rest has been identified in clinical depressive disorder. However, very few studies have been conducted to understand the underlying neural substrates of subclinical depression. The newly proposed centrality analysis approach has been increasingly used to explore the large-scale brain network of mental diseases. This study aimed to identify the degree centrality (DC) alteration of the brain network in subclinical depressive subjects. Thirty-seven candidates with subclinical depression and 34 well-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited from the same sample of college students. All subjects underwent a resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scan to assess the DC of the whole brain. Compared with controls, subclinical depressive subjects displayed decreased DC in the right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), left PHG/amygdala, and left caudate and elevated DC in the right posterior parietal lobule (PPL), left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left middle frontal gyrus (MFG). In addition, by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, we determined that the DC values in the regions with altered FC between the two groups can be used to differentiate subclinical depressive subjects from HCs. We suggest that decreased DC in subcortical and increased DC in cortical regions might be the neural substrates of subclinical depression.

Analysis of clinical characteristics and prognosis of meningovascular syphilis / 医学研究生学报

Objective Meningovascular syphilis is the intima inflammation of blood vessels caused by the syphilitic infec-tion, which is associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke.The study analyzed the clinical, imaging features and prognosis for meningovascular syphilis so as to improve its diagnosis and treatment. Methods 14 patients diagnosed with meningovascular syphilis were collected prospectively from December 2007 to March 2015 in the neurological department of Jinling Hospital.The patients were followed for a period of 21.5(range 10.2~37.9)months,and the prognosis were evaluated. Results Patients with meningovascular syphilis presented with dizziness, hemiplegia, hemidysesthesia and cognitive decline.Lesions showed multiple, scattered on MR ima-ging, intracranial vascular stenosis was seen in the CTA/MRA, and the laboratory examination had characteristic changes.With a large dose and sufficient courses of penicillin treatment, meningovascular syphilis may hopefully get predominant effects.78.57%patients got good prognosis(modified Rankin Scale ,mRS≤2)at 3 months and 85.71% patients got goodlong-term prognosis(mRS≤2). Conclusion Meningovascular syphilis was usually presented as acute onset, lacks the specific clinical and neuroimaging manifesta-tions.Most patients has favourable prognosis after treatment of syphilis with full course of penicillin.

Cognitive impairment in patients with moyamoya disease / 国际脑血管病杂志

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cryptogenic and chronically progressive cerebrovascular disease.It is known for the bilateral distal internal carotid artery and its main branch progressive stenosis and occlusion,and the formation of smoky compensatory vascular network in the skull base.In recent years,with the continuous improvement of the medical technology and clinical research level,the cognitive impairment of the patients with MMD is increasingly receiving attention.The related research results continue to appear.This article reviews this in order to provide reference for clinical practice.

Hyperintense vessel sign on FLAIR maybe associated with cerebral collateral circulation in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack: a retrospective case series study / 国际脑血管病杂志

Objective To investigate the possible formation mechanism and imaging features of the hyperintense vessel sign (HVS) on fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) in patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).Methods The baseline data of the patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic stroke or TIA with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showing the lesions of MCA M1 segment in clinical practice were retrospectively retrieved from Nanjing Stroke Registry Program from January 2010 to July 2011.FLAIR was used to observe HVS,and DSA was used to evaluate the degree of vascular stenosis and cerebral collateral circulation.Results A total of 101 patients were enrolled,76 (75.2％) were males,and their mean age was 53.94 ± 13.47 years; 90 patients (89.1％) with ischemic stroke and 11 patients (10.9％) with TIA; 55 patients (54.5％) were HVS negative and 46 (45.5％) were HVS positive.Among the patients whose MCA stenosis ＜50％,50％-70％,70％-90％ and ≥90％,the positive rates were 0％ (0/8),25.0％ (3/12),17.6％ (3/17),and 62.5％ (40/64),respectively.There were significant differences (Z=-4.479,P＜ 0.001).The leptomeningeal collateral circulation of the HVS positive group was significantly more than that of the HVS negative group (Z =-6.196,P ＜ 0.001).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the degree of MCA stenosis was an independent risk factor for influencing the formation of HVS (odds ratio 3.943,95％ confidence interval 2.03-7.659; P ＜0.001).Conclusions The formed intracranial leptomeningeal colhteral circulation after severe intracranial vascular stenosis or occlusion is a major pathophysiological basis of HVS formation on FLAIR sequences in patients with ischemic stroke or TIA.

Mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke / 国际脑血管病杂志

At present,intravenous thrombolysis within 4.5 h is still the most effective method in treatment of acute ischemic stroke.For those who do not meet the criteria of intravenous thrombolytic therapy,do not have significant improvement after intravenous thrombolysis and even worse,endovascular interventional therapy is a safe alternative treatment method.Arterial mechanical thrombectomy devices can achieve rapid and complete recanalization and provide more treatment options for patients with acute ischemic stroke.This article reviews the related technical evolution and clinical trials of mechanical thrombectomy devices.

Patients selection for endovascular therapy in acute ischemia stroke / 国际脑血管病杂志

Currently,intravenous tissue plasminogen activator within 4.5 hours of stroke onset is the only proven treatment for acute ischemic stroke.However,recanalization rate within 24 hours after the administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator is low,especially when the occlusion site involves a large intracranial artery.The low recanalization rate has prompted the development of endovascular therapy.Nevertheless,all treatment is binary,there is no best but most suitable treatment.In this article we review available researches on endovascular therapy and patients selection for endovascular therapy.

The study of the perceived stress scale's applicability in medical college students / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the applicability of the Perceived Stress Scale(PSS) in Chinese medical students.Methods 773 medical students completed the PSS and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS).The reliability and validity of the PSS were analyzed.Results The exploratory factor analysis showed that two factors were extracted from the scale,which could explain 53.74％ of the total variance.The confirmatory factor analysis verified that the structure of the PSS was two-dimensional (x2/df =2.863,CFI =0.943,TLI =0.924,GFI =0.951,AGFI =0.921,RMSEA =0.07).The internal consistency coefficient of the PSS,the perceived stress subscale and the perceived coping ability subscale were 0.858,0.852 and 0.750.The relationship between the PSS and the DASS was significant,which demonstrated that the PSS had a good criterion-related validity.In addition,t-test showed that girls had a higher level of the perceived stress than boys (t =-2.574,P =0.01),and students who lived in rural had a higher level of the perceived stress than students who lived in urban (t =2.788,P =0.005).Conclusion The study indicates that the PSS has a high level of the reliability and validity,and it is worthy of exploring the perceived stress in medical students.

Estrogenic potential of benzotriazole on marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma).

This study, for the first time, assessed the reproductive effects of benzotriazoles, widely used industrial chemicals, on marine fish. Marine medakas (Oryzias melastigma) were exposed to 0.01, 0.1, and 1mg/L benzotriazole for periods of four and 35 days. The results that are obtained showed that the expression levels of CYP1A1 were down-regulated in the liver, gills and intestines of both males and females. Vitellogenin (VTG) was highly induced in the liver, gills and intestine of both male and female marine medaka, and CYP19a was up-regulated in the ovaries especially after being exposed for 35 days. Most importantly, the results of the present study suggest that even at environmentally relevant concentrations detected in the aquatic environment, 0.01 mg/L, benzotriazole also caused notable changes in expression levels of VTG, CYP1A1 and CYP19a. More concerns about the toxicity of benzotriazoles on marine animals should be raised.

The value of hyperintense vessel signs on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging for assessing the patterns of collateral blood flow in adult moyamoya disease / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To investigate the value of hyperintense vessel signs (HVS) on fluidattenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence for assessing the patterns of collateral blood flow in adult moyamoya disease (MMD).Methods Forty-one adult patients with non-hemorrhagic MMD retrieved from Nanjing Stroke Registry Program between August 2008 and January 2011 were identified by digital cerebral angiography and performed the examination of FLAIR sequence in Jinling hospital.According to the different sites of HVS located in the territory of the middle cerebral artery,the patterns of HVS were classified into grades 0-3: Grade 0,absence of HVS ; Grade 1,HVS limited in the cerebral sulci of temporal lobe and Sylvian fissure ; Grade 2,HVS in the cerebral sulci of frontal and parietal lobe regions and Sylvian fissure;and Grade 3,HVS in the combined territories of Grade 1 and Grade 2.According to the intracerebral collateral blood flow,steno-occlusions of the arteries were classified into three types: Type 1,residual antegrade flow across steno-occlusive lesions; Type 2,retrograde flow via leptomeningeal vessels; Type 3,the combined collateral blood flow of Type 1 and Type 2.The relationship between the patterns of intracerebral collateral blood flow and the location of HVS was analyzed.Results Of 41 adult patients with non-hemorrhagic MMD,there were 3 patients presented with unilateral vascular lesions and 38 with bilateral vascular lesions,so the total number of vascular lesions of the cerebral hemispheres was 79.Because three patients showed the absence of HVS in bilateral hemispheres,the total number of the presence of HVS of the cerebral hemispheres was 73.Therefore,the percentage of the presence of HVS was 92.4％ (73/79) in vascular lesions of the cerebral hemispheres.Importantly,the patterns of slow collateral blood flow corresponding to Grade 1 HVS were all antegrade (7/7) ; the collateral patterns corresponding to Grade 2 HVS were mainly retrograde leptomeningeal flow (95.0％,19/20) ; and the patterns corresponding to Grade 3 HVS were mainly slow combined collateral blood flow(84.8％,39/46).Furthermore,with the changing sites of HVS from the cerebral sulci of temporal lobe to the cerebral sulci of frontal and parietal lobe regions,the directions of collateral flow changed with a shift from antegrade to retrograde,which was statistically significant.Conclusion The different locations of HVS can reflect the different patterns of collateral blood flow,and the locations of HVS may predict the directions of intracerebral collateral blood flow in adult MMD patients.