Vessel flow void sign and hyperintense vessel sign on FLAIR images distinguish between MELAS and AIS.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the vessel signs, including the Vessel Flow Void Sign (VFVS) and the Hyperintense Vessel Sign (HVS) in Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) images during the differentiation of Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-like Episodes (MELAS) in Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS). METHODS: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of 13 MELAS and 20 AIS patients were obtained during the acute stage of the diseases (median time to scan <1 day from symptom onset). To evaluate VFVS and HVS on the FLAIR images, Logistic Regression was used to analyze their correlation with MELAS. Then, a new scale of scoring, involving two aspects (VFVS and HVS) on FLAIR images was established. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the efficacy of the developed criterion. RESULTS: FLAIR images from 12 of the 13 MELAS patients exhibited VFVS while none exhibited HVS. Moreover, FLAIR images from 3 of the 20 AIS patients exhibited VFVS while 17 exhibited HVS. Logistic Regression showed that VFVS and the absence of HVS (NoHVS) were independent MELAS predictors. If there were VFVS, the patient scored 2 points, while there were NoHVS, the patient scored 1 point. Patients with >1.5 scores were prone to be MELAS, while patients with <1.5 scores were prone to be AIS. Sensitivity was found to be 92.3%, specificity was 85%, with an AUC of 0.94. CONCLUSION: We have established a new scoring criterion, with a high sensitivity and specificity, for differentiating between MELAS and AIS in patients during the acute stage.

Research progress in enterovirus D68 / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) was first isolated in 1962, and then reported infrequently. As its genetic diversity increased rapidly, the detection rate of EV-D68 has been rising worldwide in recent decade. Since EV-D68 caused the most widespread outbreak in the United States, Canada and Europe in 2014, an increasing number of studies had reported that EV-D68 was associated with severe respiratory diseases and neurological complications, even death. However, the pathogenesis of EV-D68 remains unclear. Moreover, no vaccines or specific antiviral agents are available for prevention and treatment for EV-D68 infection at present. Therefore, continued surveillance and rapid diagnosis of EV-D68 infection will be beneficial to prevent and manage the potential outbreak. This article gives an overview of the biological characteristics, clinical features, and epidemiology of EV-D68.

Analysis on risk factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease complicated with hypertension in the enterprise retirees / 中国基层医药

Objective To observe and explore the risk factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver diseas(NAFLD) complicated with hypertension in the enterprise retirees .Methods A total of 209 NAFLD patients diagnosed by ultrasound combined with questionnaire were collected in the enterprise retirees,and they were divided into the NAFLD with hypertension group(100 cases)and NAFLD without hypertension group (109 cases)after combined with physical examination results and past medical history.The relevant data of the two groups were retrospectively analyzed,and the risk factors of NAFLD complicated with hypertension disease were analyzed.Results The levels of age(t =1.69,P <0.05),body mass index(BMI)(t =0.36,P <0.05),waist circumference(t =0.64,P <0.05), total cholesterol(TC)(t =2.31,P <0.05),total bilirubin(TBS)(t =6.83,P <0.05),serum creatinine(Scr)(t =2. 20,P <0.05)in NAFLD complicated with hypertension group were higher than those in NAFLD group,and the differ-ences were statistically significant(P <0.01 or P <0.05).The logistic regression analysis showed that TC(OR =4.2)was the independent influencing factor of NAFLD with hypertension.Conclusion NAFLD is closely associated with hypertension,NAFLD can be incorporated into chronic disease management system with high blood pressure in order to improve the value of the disease in the elderly,and it is conducive to the further study of NAFLD and the management of other chronic disease.

Inhibition of Cdk5/p25 by TFP5 protects dopaminergic neurons in MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To study the neuroprotective role of TFP5 in a MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods C57BL/6 mice were used as experimental animals.Briefly, 5 consecutive days of intraperitoneal injection of 25 mg/Kg 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was applied to induce mouse PD model.The mice were randomized into 5 groups including control group,model group, scrambled TFP5 peptide (Scb) group, TFP5 group and roscovitine group.On the 7th day after the first injection of MPTP,behavior tests were performed, and then western blot method was employed to detect the expression of p25 and phosphorylated MEF2D in substantia nigra.Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemical staining was performed to observe the apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) 28 days after the first injection of MPTP.Results MPTP increased the expression of p25 (0.48±0.10 vs 0.26±0.02, P＜0.05) and phosphorylated MEF2D (0.81±0.10 vs 0.22±0.02, P＜0.05) in substantia nigra, but decreased the number of dopaminergic neurons in SNpc (348.67±24.40 vs 463.29± 19.61, P＜0.05),resulting in motor impairment in the model mice (P＜0.05).Intraperitoneal injection of 30mg/Kg of TFP5 for 3 days effectively reduced the excessive phosphorylation of MEF2D (0.25 ± 0.12 vs 0.81 ± 0.10, P＜ 0.05) in substantia nigra, rescued dopaminergic neuron reduction of SNpc (422.92±8.41 vs 348.67±24.40, P＜0.05), and improved the motor ability of the model mice (P ＜0.05).Roscovitine exerted almost same neuroprotective role as TFP5 ,while Scb had no protective effect.Conclusion TFP5 can rescue MPTP-induced damage of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra, and thus improve motor impairment of model mice,which may be mediated by the inhibition of Cdk5/p25 activity.

IA-2 modulates dopamine secretion in PC12 cells.

The secretion of the hormone insulin from beta cells is modulated by the expression of the dense core vesicle transmembrane protein IA-2. Since IA-2 is found in neuroendocrine cells throughout the body, the present experiments were initiated to determine whether the expression of IA-2 also modulates the secretion of neurotransmitters. Using the dopamine-secreting pheochromocytoma cell line PC12, we found that the overexpressions of IA-2 increased the cellular content and secretion of dopamine, whereas the knockdown of IA-2 by siRNA decreased the cellular content and secretion of dopamine. Neither the overexpression nor knockdown of IA-2 influenced the uptake of [H(3)]dopamine by PC12 cells, but did influence the amount of [H(3)]dopamine secreted. Overexpression of IA-2 also increased the level of the dense core vesicle-associated proteins Rab3A, IA-2beta and secretogranin II, whereas the knockdown of IA-2 decreased the level of these proteins. We conclude that the expression of IA-2 profoundly influences the function of dense core vesicles and has a broad modulating effect on the cellular content and secretion of both hormones and neurotransmitters.