Background::In the clinic, practitioners encounter many patients with an abnormal pattern of dense punctate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal in the basal ganglia, a phenomenon known as "cheese sign". This sign is reported as common in cerebrovascular diseases, dementia, and old age. Recently, cheese sign has been speculated to consist of dense perivascular space (PVS). This study aimed to assess the lesion types of cheese sign and analyze the correlation between this sign and vascular disease risk factors.Methods::A total of 812 patients from Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) dementia cohort were enrolled. We analyzed the relationship between cheese sign and vascular risk. For assessing cheese sign and defining its degree, the abnormal punctate signals were classified into basal ganglia hyperintensity (BGH), PVS, lacunae/infarctions and microbleeds, and counted separately. Each type of lesion was rated on a four-level scale, and then the sum was calculated; this total was defined as the cheese sign score. Fazekas and Age-Related White Matter Changes (ARWMC) scores were used to evaluate the paraventricular, deep, and subcortical gray/white matter hyperintensities.Results::A total of 118 patients (14.5%) in this dementia cohort were found to have cheese sign. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.090, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.064-1.120, P <0.001), hypertension (OR: 1.828, 95% CI: 1.123-2.983, P = 0.014), and stroke (OR: 1.901, 95% CI: 1.092-3.259, P = 0.025) were risk factors for cheese sign. There was no significant relationship between diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cheese sign. The main components of cheese sign were BGH, PVS, and lacunae/infarction. The proportion of PVS increased with cheese sign severity. Conclusions::The risk factors for cheese sign were hypertension, age, and stroke. Cheese sign consists of BGH, PVS, and lacunae/infarction.

The ApoE gene is a genetic risk determinant for sporadic Alzheimer′s disease (AD). The ApoEε4 allele increases the risk of developing AD relative to the common ApoEε3 allele, whereas the ApoEε2 allele decreases the risk of developing the disease. The 3 alleles encode ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4 protein isoforms, respectively. ApoE4 contributes to the pathogenesis of AD by regulating β-amyloid protein, tau protein, transactive response DNA-binding protein-43, neuroinflammation, and cerebral vascular function. The pathways associated with ApoE also offer new opportunities for the treatment of AD. In addition, studies have shown that ApoE4 also plays a toxic role in other neurological disorders. This article described the biological characteristics of ApoE, as well as the impact of ApoE4 on AD and related dementias, aiming to enhance clinical doctors′ understanding of the involvement of ApoE4 in the pathogenesis of AD and related dementia.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and imaging features of patients with COVID-19-related osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS).Methods:COVID-19-related ODS cases diagnosed in the Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2020 to September 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. And their past medical history, possible triggers, clinical manifestations, imaging manifestations, treatment and prognosis were summarized.Results:A total of 5 patients with COVID-19-related ODS were included. Electrolyte disturbances acted as an inducement of ODS in all patients (5/5),4 of whom with hyponatremia. Four of 5 patients first presented with disturbance of consciousness, followed by predominant dystonia. Imaging of all patients (5/5) showed isolated extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM). With the prolongation of the course of disease, such signal intensity could return to normal, and lesions showed atrophic changes in some patients. The patients′ clinical symptoms were partly relieved within a few days to a few months after treatment.Conclusions:COVID-19-related ODS is mostly associated with hyponatremia, and EPM is more common. COVID-19 should be considered as a risk factor for ODS.

A significant proportion of patients with chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) fail to respond to standard therapies. Recent evidence suggests that globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment option; however, reports are few and limited by sample sizes. We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the clinical outcome of GPi-DBS for ChAc. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles published before August 2021. The improvement of multiple motor and nonmotor symptoms was qualitatively presented. Improvements in the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale motor score (UHDRS-MS) were also analyzed during different follow-up periods. A multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted to identify potential predictors of clinical outcomes. Twenty articles, including 27 patients, were eligible. Ninety-six percent of patients with oromandibular dystonia reported significant improvement. GPi-DBS significantly improved the UHDRS-motor score at < 6 months (p < 0.001) and ≥ 6 months (p < 0.001). The UHDRS-motor score improvement rate was over 25% in 75% (15/20 cases) of patients at long-term follow-up (≥ 6 months). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that sex, age at onset, course of disease, and preoperative movement score had no linear relationship with motor improvement at long-term follow-up (p > 0.05). GPi-DBS is an effective and safe treatment in most patients with ChAc, but no reliable predictor of efficacy has been found. Oromandibular dystonia-dominant patients might be the best candidates for GPi-DBS.

Objective: To evaluate the value of cerebrospinal fluid markers expecially total-tau protein (T-tau), phosphorylated-tau protein (P-tau) in diagnosis and differentiation of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Methods: sCJD (according to 2009 Brain criteria, 2018 Neurology amended criteria), Alzheimer's disease (AD; the National Institute on Aging at National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer's Association revised guidelines 2011 criteria) and other patients without cognitive impairment, matched for sex and age, in the Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2018 to 2019 were enrolled. Twelve sCJD patients, 49 AD patients and 14 normal controls were enrolled. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were collected through gravity dropping directly, and further stored in -80 ℃ and disposed according to widely used standards. The levels of T-tau and P-tau were measured by ELISA. The data on electroencephalogram and neuroimaging findings of sCJD patients were recorded. Moreover, specimens of sCJD patients were sent to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention to test 14-3-3 protein and PRNP genotype. Results: Using Mann-Whitney U test, T-tau concentrations were found higher in patients with sCJD (1 211(448, 2 227) pg/ml) than in AD patients (549(314, 1 078) pg/ml; U=178, P=0.034 9), and both groups had higher T-tau than the control group (127(79, 192) pg/ml; U=20, 73, P<0.01). The level of P-tau was significantly increased in AD patients (72(58,109) pg/ml) compared to the control group (27(15, 42) pg/ml; U=82, P<0.01), but not in sCJD patients (32(24, 47) pg/ml). The T-tau/P-tau ratio was higher in sCJD patients (29.77(20.01, 54.53)) than in AD patients (7.45(4.79, 10.43); U=87, P<0.01). Twelve sCJD patients had cotical hyperintensity on diffusion weighted imaging and five had periodic three-phase waves on electroencephalogram. Nine sCJD patients, whose CSF samples were tested in the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, carried an M/M genotype at codon 129 and E/E at codon 219. Conclusion The CSF tau level and T-tau/P-tau ratio are significantly increased in sCJD, which may promote the diagnosis and differentiation of sCJD in routine clinical setting.

OBJECTIVE: To study the long-term efficacy and safety of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) in the treatment of relapsed patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: A total of 7 patients with B-cell ALL relapsed after allo-HSCT were treated with CD19 CAR-T cells from September 2015 to March 2018. Among them, 6 had hematological recurrence and 1 had positive of MRD. They all were treated with a single infusion of CAR-T cells. FC chemotherapy regimen was administered before transfusion. The median number of CAR-T cells transfused was 6.0 (range 4.0-8.6) )×10/kg. Long-term efficacy and toxicity were evaluated. RESULTS: Bone marrow examination performed at d 30 after CAR-T infusion showed that all 7 patients achieved complete remission and MRD negative, grade I CRS for 1 case and grade II CRS for 6 cases, two of them had mild neurotoxicity, which was controlled by treatment. Two patients presented grade VI intestinal GVHD after CAR-T infusion. The median follow-up time was 18 months (range 12-42). Follow-up showed that two patients relapsed at 9 months and 14 months after treatment, out of 2 patients one died of progressive disease and the other reachived the hematological remission, but MRD was positive after CD22 CAR-T cell therapy. At present, five patients are disease-free survival, moreover showed complete donor chimerism. One year after CAR-T cell therapy, the results of immune reconstitution showed that CD4 level was more than 300×10/L in 5 patients who disease-free survived. Among them, 3 patients had poor recovery of immunoglobulin and received gamma globulin replacement therapy. CONCLUSION All patients are followed up for at least one year. The preliminary efficacy and safety are satisfactory. CAR-T cell infusion is an effective method for the treatment of B-ALL recurrence after allo-HSCT.
B-Lymphocytes ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; T-Lymphocytes

Objective To investigate the pathogen distribution and risk factors of pulmonary infection after acute cervical spinal cord injury (ACSCI) in an attempt to offer reference for early antiinfection therapy.Methods The study comprised 223 cases who were admitted from October 2011 to October 2014.There were 149 males and 74 females,at (43.3 ± 13.5) years of age.Species of pathogens identified were gram-positive,gram-negative and mixed.Effects of age,gender,injury types and tracheotomy on pathogen distribution were analyzed.Results Gram-negative infection was found in 114 cases (51.1％),with tracheotomy accounting for 7.0％ of the cases and death accounting for 1.8％ of the cases,and the main causative pathogens were Klebsiella pneumonia,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii.Gram-positive infection was found in 41 cases (18.4％),with tracheotomy accounting for 12.2％ of the cases and death accounting for 7.3％ of the cases,and the main causative pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia.Mixed infection was found in 68 cases (30.5％),with tracheotomy accounting for 22.1％ of the cases and death accounting for 13.2％ of the cases.Gender had no significant correlation with pathogen distribution.For the cases of complete spinal cord injury and tracheotomy,the ratio of mixed infection increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05).For the cases younger than 30 years,the pathogens were mainly gram-positive bacteria (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Main pathogens of pulmonary infection after ACSCI are gram-negative bacteria.The cases younger than 30 years are associated with higher risk of grampositive infection,while the cases with complete injury or tracheotomy are associated with higher risk of mixed infection.

Objective To analyze the effect of mesporous calcium silicate (m-CS)/calcium sulfate cement (CSC),m-CSC for short,in bone defect repair.Methods Setting time and compressive strength of the m-CSC (15 m-CSC as group Ⅰ and 30 m-CSC as group Ⅱ) were tested.CSC was used as the control.Cement samples were immersed in Tris-HCl solution,andin vitro degradation of the m-CSC was measured.Cell morphology and cell proliferation as well as differentiation on the samples were assessed.The cements were implanted into the traumatic femoral defects in rabbits,and the in vivo degradability and osteogenesis of the cements were investigated by histological evaluation after implantation for 4,8 and 12 weeks.Results Addition of m-CS into CSC prolonged the setting time (7.8 min in group Ⅰ and 10.5 min in group Ⅱ),obviously longer than 3.7 min in control group and did not have obvious effect on compressive strength of the cements.Weight loss of m-CSC solution was obviously lower (61.8 wt％ in group Ⅰ and50.3 wt％ in group Ⅱ),compared to70.4 wt％ in control group,pH value in group Ⅱ decreased from 7.40 to 7.26,while decreased from 7.40 to 6.86 in control group,m-CSC could promote cell proliferation and differentiation compared to CSC.At postoperative 12 weeks,histological sections showed massive new bony tissue (55.2％) in group Ⅱ,obviously higher than 25.6％ in control group.Conclusion m-CSC exhibits good biocompatibility,degradability and osteogenesis,and can promote bone regeneration in bone defect repair.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the relationship between T lymphocyte subsets and the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and its clinical significance of monitoring the changes of T lymphocyte subsets dynamicly on 1, 3, 6, 12 month after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

METHODSTwenty cases received allo-HSCT in Department of Hematology of General Hospital of Beijing Military Command from January 2013 to January 2014, including 10 males and 10 females with average age of 20.3 years (3-46 years old), among them 4 cases rectived HLA matched transplantation and 16 cases rectived HLA mismatched transplantation. The levels of T lymphocyte subsets including CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)/CD8(+), CD4(+)CD25(high) FOXP3(+) in the peripheral blood were manitored with flow cytometry (FCM) on +1, +3, +6, +12 month after transplantation dynamicly.

RESULTS(1) Follow up to March 2015, the levers of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)/CD8(+), CD4(+) CD25(high) FOXP3(+) showed a different degree of recovery after transplantation for all cases and returned to the lever of pre-transplantation on 12 month basically, and CD8(+) T cells recovered earlier than CD4(+) T cells, while the decrease of CD4(+) T cells lasted more than 1 year; The proportion inversion of CD4(+)/CD8(+) also lasted for more than 1 year;(2) The level of CD4(+) CD25(high) FOXP3(+) in patients with acute GVHD was lower than that in patients without acute GVHD.

CONCLUSIONThe dynamic monitoring of the T lymphocyte subsets, especially CD4(+) CD25(high) FOXP3(+) after transplantation has importent clinical significance, it can forecast the incidence of acute GVHD before symptoms appeared; the dynamic monitoring of the T-lymphocyte subsets also can be used as reference indicator for prediction of GVHD, theraby it can reduce mortality of patients after transplantation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; cytology ; Young Adult