Comparison of resting-state spontaneous brain activity between treatment-naive schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia (SZ) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) share many demographic characteristics and severity of clinical symptoms, genetic risk factors, pathophysiological underpinnings, and brain structure and function. However, the differences in the spontaneous brain activity patterns between the two diseases remain unclear. Here this study aimed to compare the features of intrinsic brain activity in treatment-naive participants with SZ and OCD and to explore the relationship between spontaneous brain activity and the severity of symptoms. METHODS: In this study, 22 treatment-naive participants with SZ, 27 treatment-naive participants with OCD, and sixty healthy controls (HC) underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree of centrality (DC) were performed to examine the intrinsic brain activity of participants. Additionally, the relationships among spontaneous brain activity, the severity of symptoms, and the duration of illness were explored in SZ and OCD groups. RESULTS: Compared with SZ group and HC group, participants with OCD had significantly higher ALFF in the right angular gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus/precentral gyrus and significantly lower ALFF in the left superior temporal gyrus/insula/rolandic operculum and the left postcentral gyrus, while there was no significant difference in ALFF between SZ group and HC group. Compared with HC group, lower ALFF in the right supramarginal gyrus/inferior parietal lobule and lower DC in the right lingual gyrus/calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex of the two patient groups, higher ReHo in OCD group and lower ReHo in SZ group in the right angular gyrus/middle occipital gyrus brain region were documented in the present study. DC in SZ group was significantly higher than that in HC group in the right inferior parietal lobule/angular gyrus, while there were no significant DC differences between OCD group and HC group. In addition, ALFF in the left postcentral gyrus were positively correlated with positive subscale score (r = 0.588, P = 0.013) and general psychopathology subscale score (r = 0.488, P = 0.047) respectively on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in SZ group. ALFF in the left superior temporal gyrus/insula/rolandic operculum of participants with OCD were positively correlated with compulsion subscale score (r = 0.463, P = 0.030) on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The longer the illness duration in SZ group, the smaller the ALFF of the left superior temporal gyrus/insula/rolandic operculum (Rho = 0.-492, P = 0.020). The longer the illness duration in OCD group, the higher the ALFF of the right supramarginal gyrus/inferior parietal lobule (Rho = 0.392, P = 0.043) and the left postcentral gyrus (Rho = 0.385, P = 0.048), and the lower the DC of the right inferior parietal lobule/angular gyrus (Rho = - 0.518, P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: SZ and OCD show some similarities in spontaneous brain activity in parietal and occipital lobes, but exhibit different patterns of spontaneous brain activity in frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, and insula brain regions, which might imply different underlying neurobiological mechanisms in the two diseases. Compared with OCD, SZ implicates more significant abnormalities in the functional connections among brain regions.

Inhibitory effect of 13 taxane diterpenoids from Chinese yew (Taxus chinensis var. mairei) on the proliferation of HeLa cervical cancer cells.

The inhibitory effect of 13 taxanes isolated from the Chinese yew (Taxus chinensis var. mairei) on the proliferation of human cervical cancer HeLa cells were examined using an MTT assay. Four compounds having a hydrophobic cinnamate side chain showed antiproliferative activity, which may be due to increased cell permeability.

Primary giant lymphoma of the right thigh: A case report and brief review of the literature.

Primary soft tissue non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the extremities is very rare. The clinical features of NHL mimic those of other soft tissue tumors, particularly sarcoma; however, they should be differentiated, as the treatment and prognosis are completely different. In this study, the case of a 68-year-old female with a giant mass, movement disorder, numbness and painful sensations in the right thigh is presented. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a huge circle-shaped mass. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the tumor demonstrated neoplastic small, round cells. The tentative diagnosis was of a mesenchymal sarcoma. The right thigh was amputated. On histological examination of the amputated extremity, the diagnosis was found to be large B cell lymphoma. Primary soft tissue NHL of the extremities is a systemic malignant disease and is sensitive to chemo-therapy and radiotherapy. The histological diagnosis should be identified as far as possible before the tumor is widely excised.

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 promoter and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 gene polymorphisms in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter regions of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP) genes are associated with an adverse outcome in some cancers. We examined three polymorphisms: -1306C/T and -735C/T in MMP-2 and -418G/C in the TIMP-2 gene, using chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism typing analysis in 575 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We examined the possible correlations between the three polymorphisms (MMP-2 (-1306C/T and -735C/T) and TIMP-2 gene (-418G/C)) and the clinical significance and survival rate in patients with NHL. The incidence of the CT, TT+CT genotypes and T allele of -735C/T was significantly higher in stage III and IV patients compared to stage I and II patients. In cases with bone marrow infiltration, the TT genotypes of the -1306C/T gene were significantly less frequent compared to CC genotypes. The CT, TT and CT+TT genotypes and T allele in patients exhibiting the -1306C/T polymorphism were significantly less frequent in patients with a large tumor size compared to a smaller tumor. The TT genotypes of the -735C/T polymorphism were more common in patients with a large tumor compared to those with a smaller tumor. The frequency of the -1306C/-735T haplotype in patients with a smaller tumor size was significantly higher compared to patients with a large tumor. The -1306T/-735C and -1306C/-735C haplotypes were significantly less frequent in patients with B-symptoms compared to those without. Interestingly, patients with the -735CT genotype exhibited a lower rate of survival. Our results demonstrate that certain MMP-2 and TIMP-2 gene polymorphisms potentially effect the progression or assessment of prognosis for NHL. This research warrants further, larger scale studies.

Association of VEGF genetic polymorphisms with the clinical characteristics of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in tumor angiogenesis and cancer progression. The VEGF genetic polymorphisms were shown to be independently associated with an adverse outcome in various malignancies. We investigated the possible associations of two polymorphisms (-2578C/A and +936C/T) in the VEGF gene with the clinicopathologic parameters for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: We studied the genotype and allele frequencies of the -2578C/A and +936C/T polymorphism in DNA samples of 431 patients with NHL using restriction fragment length polymorphism typing analysis. RESULTS: The -2578A allele was significantly associated with less frequent clinical staging III, IV and bone marrow involvement (The odds ratio (OR) 0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.82; and OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.48-0.91, respectively). The CA and CA + AA genotype of the -2578C/A were significantly associated with less frequent bone marrow involvement than CC genotypes (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.38-0.86; and OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.39-0.85, respectively). The TT genotype of the +936C/T polymorphism was significantly associated with less frequent T cell histological type, clinical staging III, IV and bone marrow involvement (OR 0.25; 95% CI 0.07-0.89; OR 0.37; 95% CI 0.15-0.89; and OR 0.31; 95% CI 0.10-0.96, respectively). The +936 T allele was marginally associated with less frequent bone marrow involvement and with Clinical staging III, IV (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.49-1.01; and OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.49-1.00, respectively). None of the evaluated genotypes of -2578C/A was significantly associated with the gender, age, tumor size, B symptoms and immunohistological subtype. No significant associations between the genotype of +936C/T and the clinicopathologic variables, gender, age, tumor size and B symptoms were ascertained. Both of the -2578C/A and +936C/T polymorphisms were not related to the patients' overall survival. CONCLUSION: We present the first data on VEGF gene polymorphisms in NHL. Our findings support the hypothesis that the -2578 CA and CA + AA and +936 TT VEGF genotypes and -2578A and +936T alleles are associated with decreased risk for invasion. But the investigated VEGF gene polymorphisms were not associated with prognosis in patients with NHL.

The use of topical intranasal fluorescein in endoscopic endonasal repair of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea.

BACKGROUND: The CSF rhinorrhea is a kind of common clinical disease. The preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative localization of CSF fistulas are critical to treatment of CSF rhinorrhea. At present, intrathecal fluorescein regarding endoscopic transnasal cerebrospinal leakage repair is a common method for localization of the fistula; however, it has some disadvantages because it needs a specific endoscope, and the trauma from lumbar puncture as well as the potential complications of intrathecal fluorescein, as a result, widely limited its clinical use. Topical intranasal fluorescein can avoid the above-mentioned shortcoming. The aim of this work was to describe the use of topical fluorescein in the intraoperative localization of CSF fistulas and to screen its use in preoperative diagnosis of CSF rhinorrhea. METHODS: Fifteen patients with CSF rhinorrhea were treated with an endoscopic endonasal technique. Topical intranasal 5% fluorescein for preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative localization of the site of the leak was placed in middle turbinate meatus, the roof of the ethmoid plate, and sphenoethmoidal recesses. A change in the color of the fluorescein from brown to green fluorescence denoted the presence of CSF, and the site of the leak could be traced. The accuracy rate of diagnosis and leak site identification was made by comparison with glucose analysis, intraoperative findings, and follow-up. RESULTS: The cause of the leak was accidental trauma in 5 patients and spontaneous in 10 patients. The preoperative use of fluorescein-soaked cotton was 100% accurate in diagnosing CSF rhinorrhea. The intraoperative use of topical intranasal fluorescein was also 100% accurate in locating the site of the CSF fistula when compared with the surgical findings. It had achieved 100% success rate in sealing the CSF fistulas in our 15 patients with no recurrence detected during the follow-up period (mean, 2-24 months). No complications have been reported. CONCLUSION: In the presence of a clinically diagnosed CSF leakage and location of the leakage fistula, topical fluorescein is a very easy, sensitive, safe, and highly accurate tool in the intraoperative localization of the site and extent of CSF fistulas. It should be considered as a viable noninvasive alternative to intrathecal fluorescein.

[Application of topical intranasal fluorescein in endoscopic endonasal repair of cerebrospinal fluid leakage].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of topical fluorescein on the preoperative diagnosis of rhinorrhea of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and intraoperative localization of CSF fistula. METHODS: Cotton pads soaked with 5% fluorescein were placed in the middle turbinate meatus, roof of ethmoid plate, and sphenoethmoidalis recesses via endoscopic endonasal technique of 15 patients with CSF rhinorrhea, 5 caused by accidental trauma and 10 spontaneous. Change of the color of fluorescein from yellow to green fluorescence denoted the presence of CSF, and thus the site of the leak could be traced. The accuracy rates of diagnosis and leak site identification by this technique were compared with those by glucose analysis, intraoperative findings, and follow-up. RESULTS: The preoperative diagnosis rate of CSF rhinorrhea and the CSF fistula site localization rate by fluorescein-soaked cotton pad were both 100%. No recurrence was found during the follow-up for 2 - 24 months. No complication had been reported. CONCLUSIONS: Application of topical fluorescein is an easy, sensitive, safe, and highly accurate tool in the intraoperative localization of the site and extent of CSF fistulas and should be considered a viable noninvasive alternative to intrathecal fluorescein technique.

Evidence for transmission disequilibrium at the DAOA gene locus in a schizophrenia family sample.

Recently, the DAOA gene locus on chromosome 13q32-q34 has been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia. We genotyped three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs: rs778294, rs779293 and rs3918342) in this region in 126 Chinese family trios. In this study, we have identified statistically significant transmission disequilibrium in two markers rs778293 (P=0.01) and rs3918342 (P=0.02), and a highly significant under-transmission between haplotype CAT (P=0.0005) and schizophrenia. The results provide further evidence to support that DAOA gene locus is involved in conferring susceptibility to schizophrenia.

The rice tapetum degeneration retardation gene is required for tapetum degradation and anther development.

In flowering plants, tapetum degeneration is proposed to be triggered by a programmed cell death (PCD) process during late stages of pollen development; the PCD is thought to provide cellular contents supporting pollen wall formation and to allow the subsequent pollen release. However, the molecular basis regulating tapetum PCD in plants remains poorly understood. We report the isolation and characterization of a rice (Oryza sativa) male sterile mutant tapetum degeneration retardation (tdr), which exhibits degeneration retardation of the tapetum and middle layer as well as collapse of microspores. The TDR gene is preferentially expressed in the tapetum and encodes a putative basic helix-loop-helix protein, which is likely localized to the nucleus. More importantly, two genes, Os CP1 and Os c6, encoding a Cys protease and a protease inhibitor, respectively, were shown to be the likely direct targets of TDR through chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses and the electrophoretic mobility shift assay. These results indicate that TDR is a key component of the molecular network regulating rice tapetum development and degeneration.

[Using of titanium mesh for the reconstruction of skull base defect].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the possibility and surgical principle of titanium mesh used for the reconstruction of skull base bone defect. METHODS: The clinical data of 11 patients with defect of skull base bone repaired with titanium mesh were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Among 11 patients, there were 6 patients with skull base tumor, 3 patients with fibrosis hyperplasia, 2 patients with encephalomeningocele. The surgical approach included craniofacial approach in 7 patients, transfrontal and extended transfrontal approach in 3 patients, trans-midface approach in 1 patient. The anterior and lateral skull base was repaired in 2 patients, anterior and middle skull base and sellar repaired in 6 patients, anterior skull base and orbital floor repaired in 3 patients. In early postoperative period, there were 3 patients with intracranial pneumatosis, but without symptom, and 1 patient with transient cerebrospinal leakage. Following-up for average 14.4 months, there was no titanium mesh displacement and intracranial infection in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The titanium mesh used for the repair of skull base bone defect was both possible and safe.

[Genetic analysis and mapping of the rice leafy-hull mutant Oslh].

Oslh (lh=leafy hull), in the japonica cultivar 9522 background, a mutant of Oryza sativa L. spp. japonica cv. 9522 identified from an M(2) population, was mutagenized by irradiation with (60)Co gamma-ray. The Oslh mutant plants flowered about 15 days later than the wild-type plants (Fig.1e). The paleas, lemmas and lodicules of the flowers of Oslh mutant were transformed into leaf-like structures (Fig.1b, d). Genetic analysis of the F(2) progeny from a cross between the Oslh mutant and wild-type japonica cv. 9522 revealed that the Oslh mutant arouse from a single recessive nuclear gene mutation of the cv. 9522. To map the Oslh locus, an F(2) population generated by crossing between Oslh (japonica) mutant and Guangluai4 (indica) was analyzed. The Oslh locus was mapped to the long arm of rice chromosome 3, between a SSR marker RM5475 and an InDel marker GY305, 2.9 and 1.5 cM away from these two markers respectively (Fig.4). These results are useful for further cloning and functional analysis of the OsLH gene.

[Endoscopic endonasal surgery for tumors of petroclival region and infratemporal fossa].

OBJECTIVE: Nasal endoscope has been used increasingly during skull base surgery. However, most of endoscopic surgery limited to the repair of cerebrospinal rhinorrhea, decompression of traumatic optic nerve, hypophysectomy, etc. This study was undertaken to determine whether endoscopic endonasal approach was safe and effective for the resection of tumors located in petroclival region and infratemporal fossa. METHODS: Seventeen patients with tumors of petroclival region and infratemporal fossa treated by endoscopic endonasal surgery between January 2002 and February 2005 were studied prospectively. The operative technique was described in detail. There were 5 chordoma, 1 esthesioneuroblastoma, 1 chondrosarcoma, 1 lymphoma, 1 craniopharyngioma, 1 hemangioblastoma, 4 meningioma, 1 schwannoma, and 2 metastatic carcinoma. 3 patients were selected for neuronavigation-aided endoscopic endonasal surgery. RESULTS: Total tumor removal was obtained in 15 cases, subtotal removal in 2 case. With follow-up of 5 to 43 months, 1 case with chordoma was recurrent 5 months later postoperatively and underwent reoperation subsequently. The other cases with benign tumors were no recurrence. All of 5 cases with malignant tumors followed up for longer than 2 years were no recurrence and death. The complications included subarachnoid hemorrhage in 1 patient, transient cerebrospinal leakage in 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The endoscopic endonasal surgery provides satisfied treatment for selected tumors of petroclival region and infratemporal fossa. This approach promises a simple and rapid access to petroclival region and infratemporal fossa. It is a safe, minimally invasive and efficient procedure. Using neuronavigation system, it is helpful to determining anatomical landmark and removing the tumor completely and securely.

[Image-guided endoscopic transsphenoidal removal of pituitary adenoma].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of neuronavigation in assisting endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas. METHODS: Ten endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal reoperations for pituitary adenomas were selected. Clinical records were reviewed retrospectively. Five of 10 patients had gigantic adenoma, 3 microadenoma, 2 large adenoma. RESULTS: The mean setup time was 5 minutes, and the operative time was 50 minutes in image-guided procedures. In all cases, the system worked well without malfunction. Continuous information regarding instrument location and trajectory was provided to the surgeon. Measurements of intraoperative accuracy in the axial, coronal, and.sagittal planes indicated a mean verified system error of 1.5 mm. for pituitary adenomas. After operation, the symptoms relieved in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Neuronavigation can be applied during endonasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery and requires a minimal amount of time. It makes reoperation easier, faster, and safer.